By Inayat Amir The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the state to criminalize torture and make legislations for its prevention. On International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the HRCP said that neither a state of war nor an order from a superior authority justified torture which hurts the very foundation of the rule of …

By Dr. Naazir Mahmood The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is an area where one would expect much better labour laws and working conditions compared to other parts of the country. Sadly, this is not true. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) keeps an eye on such issues, conducts fact-finding missions across the country and holds dialogues. On June 7, …

By Rozina Parveen When the horrors of life outway the terrors of death a man commits suicide — Albert Camus Suicide cases are on the rise in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. According to media reports in Pakistan 20 people, mostly female, aged between 15 and 35 years, take their lives every day. According to studies and survey reports, there has been …

The mission is especially alarmed by the apparent surge in suicide cases in various parts of GB, particularly in district Ghizer. A large number of these victims comprise women and the mission has reason to believe that some cases of honour killings have been labelled suicide and thus ‘forgotten

The Pamir region happens to be the only part of the country where protesters still take to the streets against the government.

Pakistan’s media has been grappling with an existential crisis in recent years, with critical areas going from bad to worse. This includes a staggering two-fifths of media jobs — 8,000 out of 20,000 — being wiped out, partly because of lifeline public sector advertising having shrunk by over half, and a squeezed media economy that is drying up even private sector advertising.

The book, titled The Struggle for Hegemony in Pakistan Fear, Desire and Revolutionary Horizons is an interpretation of the contemporary global economic and political scenario and opportunities for revolutionary politics as an alternative.

News Desk Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has strongly condemned the horrific and inhumane treatment meted out to Baloch drivers in Chagai by the Frontier Corps.  A statement issued by WAF said it was outraged by horrific videos coming out of Chagai.  “WAF expresses serious concern over indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by paramilitary forces against peaceful and unarmed protestors in Chagai, …

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has, in partnership with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), released a study titled ‘Freedom of Peaceful Assembly in Pakistan: A Legislative Review.’ The study identifies the laws and procedures that are used to restrict the constitutional right to freedom of peaceful assembly, either directly or indirectly. These include provisions in …

News Desk Like other parts of Pakistan, women in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) are facing multiple problems, including gender-based dicrimination, domestic violence and harassment. They are being deprived of their basic human rights including access to education, healthcare, right of expression, and employment. This was said by Ghazala Nazir, an activist and member of the National Women Front (NWF) Gilgit-Baltistan Sindh Zone …

By Inayat Amir Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court has restrained the capital police from arresting a human rights defender, a journalist, and Baloch students on sedition and criminal conspiracy charges. The court put on notice the secretaries of interior and human rights ministries, the capital’s chief commissioner, and top cop to appear before the court on Monday and justify the …

Slum dwellers demand protection of homes Islamabad: With clouds of uncertainty looming over their heads, residents of Rishma Colony, H-9 have called upon authorities the protection of their homes to be affected by the 10th Avenue project, by recognizing them as stakeholders in the project. Concerned residents along with the members of Alliance for Katchi Abadis and Awami Workers Party …

His teaching career spanned 50 years, during which he served as the dean of journalism and mass communication at Beaconhouse National University.

News Desk Google has honoured Pakistani slain social activist, architect, and urban planner Perween Rahman on her 65th birth anniversary. She devoted her life to uplifting marginalised communities, says a statement by Google. The name Perween Rahman will always be synonymous with Karachi’s katchi abadis, where she worked closely with communities to improve their quality of life through simple yet sustainable …

Aasim Sajjad Akhtar Christmas is hardly a big occasion in Pakistan. More than two million Pakistani Christians celebrate it guardedly, with few from the Muslim majority joining them. Government officials issue cut-and-paste statements and put up a Christmas tree or two in public places, and then return to the business of lending legitimacy to majoritarianism. Indeed, Christians in this country …