ISLAMABAD: Lamenting the state of human rights in the country, a parliamentary committee on Tuesday suggested judicial reforms for speedy justice.

The recommendation came during the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights meeting headed by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri at Parliament Lodges.

Ms Zehri lamented that courts had been focusing increasingly on political cases rather than human rights and public welfare ones. With millions of cases pending in high courts and Supreme Court, it is crucial to expedite these matters, as justice delayed is justice denied.

She stressed the need for a comprehensive reform of the judiciary.

Senator Tarar, acknowledging the recommendations, added that major revamping and capacity building were needed, stating that poor performance constituted misconduct.

The chairperson urged the ministry to promptly implement the recommendations of the cabinet committee on enactment of special laws for the provision of speedy justice, stressing that many pending human rights cases were being neglected. She also suggested for swift implementation of the Action Plan on Human Rights. She recommended creating a nationwide awareness campaign on laws related to human rights, especially concerning issues like domestic violence, child abuse, and rape cases.

The meeting was informed that there were seven human rights institutions - National Commission for Human Rights, National Commission on the Status of Women, National Commission on the Rights of the Child, Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Agency, Child Protection Institute Islamabad, Council on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Senior Citizens Council - with the latter four based in Islamabad.

The meeting included a briefing on social welfare centres and development projects planned for the year 2024-25. The committee members inquired about the legal process for women in jail.

Minister for Human Rights Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar explained that the national commission had a mandate different from legal aid, which was not their responsibility. Legal aid was available for deserving candidates who applied for it.

A district committee, headed by designated official, ensured prisoners were kept in a reasonable environment as per jail mandates and forwarded their reports to the government.

Senator Tarar informed the members about the launch of the AWAZ app for reporting human rights violations on Android.

This app was linked to the Prime Minister’s Office and available for 18 hours a day, making it convenient for citizens.

Human rights ministry officials also briefed the meeting on the monitoring of human rights violation cases, the National Action Plan for Human Rights and the awareness activities. The members were that an amount of Rs31, 293, 842 had been granted by the Federal Administrative Committee for the provision of financial assistance to release 20 convicts who were languishing in jails due to the non-payment of Diyat, Arsh and Damam amounts.

In addition, the secretary Ministry of Human Rights provided further information on the Human Rights Relief and Revolving Fund and the development of the ICT Integrated Social Welfare System (ISWS). This system aimed to provide coordinated inter-agency support to persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, transgender persons, and victims of gender-based violence.

He also mentioned the issuance of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) certificates, noting that 19,000 certificates had been issued to PWDs, and efforts were underway to digitise the entire system. Currently, data for 7,000 PWDs has been digitised in the ISWS.

The chairperson recommended that the ministry officials tackle judicial issues. She said although there was a mechanism in place, the prosecution was not doing its job, and efforts were being wasted.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2024