Islamabad: The Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) condemns unending massacre of Hazara community in Balochistan and urges the UN to immediately intervene and investigate the matter.

It is unfortunate that Hazara community has become victim of political game between the state apparatuses.

The ISJ also urges Hazara community to take precautionary measures by barricading their vicinities/areas.

Islamabad: The ISJ categorically condemns state murder of Mohammad Afzal Guru- Kashmiri labourer- who was hanged by India for alleged plotting attack on so called democratic Indian parliament in New Delhi. His bodies was buried in Delhi’s Tihrar jail, where his murder took place by the Indian state.

The ISJ learns from the column of a prominent and renowned Indian human rights activists- Ms Arundhati Roy- about Guru’s murder by the state.

As per the Supreme Court of India’s judgement: “As is the case with most conspiracies, there is and could no direct evidence amounting to criminal conspiracies…The incident, which resulted in heavy causalities had shaken the entire nation, and the collective conscience of society will only be satisfied if capital punishment is awarded to the offender.”  

The ISJ urges all UN bodies which includes Human Rights Council, the General Council, the Committee of the Civil and Political Rights, Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and International Court of Justice, to take urgent action against brutal murder of Guru by the India and its institutions including low and higher judiciary. 

Guru was completely denied of all basic and fundamental values of human rights that are given to all types of offenders during the trial and appeal procedures irrespective of the crime, origin, religion and group. He was not given a chance to prove himself innocent through legal assistance. Though the Supreme Court was even not able to find any direct link of him in the attack on so called Indian parliament.  

This is a reasonable case to bring Indian state accountable for human rights violations that it has been doing in the name of national security.

Islamabad: The Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) is concerned about proposed anti children amendments in the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO), 2000, and trial of children by Anti Terrorism Courts in Pakistan.

The Ministry of Interior Pakistan has drafted a Bill called Juvenile Justice System (Amendment) Bill, 2012, that is being approved by the Cabinet for submitting in either house of the Parliament.

The ISJ fears that if the JJS Amendment Bill 2012 passed by both house of the Parliament, children in conflict with law will formally or legally be deprived of all basic rights enshrined to them in the JJSO 2000 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which Pakistan ratified in 1990.

The draft bill proposes insertion of new para (ai) under Section 4 (2) (i) in the JJSO 2000, which empowers Anti Terrorism Courts (ATCs) to work as Juvenile Courts for trying cases children being charged under the Anti Terrorism Act (Amendment) 1997.

From human rights perspective, mainly from the UNCRC, the trial of children/juveniles by the Anti Terrorism Courts will have serious and negative impacts on children’s lives and well being and it is against the best interest of children.

Article 37 (b and C) of the UNCRC says that (a) the arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only “as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. (c) Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age.”

Whereas hundreds of children in Pakistan are being tried by ATCs, since in 2006 Sindh High Court allowed ATCs to try children charged under the ATA. Children accused of offences under the ATA are treated like adults and can also be sentenced to death whereas death sentence is mandatory under the ATA if the trial court convicts an accused (either juvenile or adult). The trial process under the ATC put a child through an inhuman and degrading treatment. Many among them are deprived of from the right to bail even after six months. 

The ISJ requests the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Human Rights Council and Inter-agency Panel on Juvenile Justice to take notice of these negative developments and urge Pakistan to introduce child friendly laws in accordance with the UNCRC and stop introducing the JJS Amendment Bill 2012 in the Parliament rather Pakistan should introduce a law that should ban children’s trial through ATCs.

Bahawalpur, Feb 7: A domestic servant at the residence of a landlord in Lodhran was allegedly tortured to death late on Wednesday.

According to the Sadar police, Saeed Ahmed worked at Mian Aamir’s house.

According to Saeed’s mother Mitho Mai, upon receiving information of her son’s illness. she along with her husband, Bashir Ahmed, reached here from Lodhran. She said they found Saeed seriously injured and moved him to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Sadar police said they had registered an FIR on the complaint of the deceased’s father against two suspects, Azhar and Shafiq. However, Mian Aamir claimed at the time of incident he was out of the city and upon return when he got information of the incident, he handed over Azhar, another servant at his house, to the police.

According to Aamir, Azhar revealed the name of his accomplice Shafiq, who was a neighbor’s servant.-  Correspondent.

Source: Dawn News  

The ISJ’s reaction
The ISJ condemns brutal murder of killing of slave domestic worker in Lodhran and urge the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of it, call judicial inquiry of the brutal murder and issue notice for regularization of domestic workers who are living and working as slaves across the country. 

The old estimates show that there more than 8.5 million people working as domestic slaves mainly women and minor girls which are sexually, psychologically and physically abuse and exploited, and in many cases murder.

The ISJ believes that the police in such cases do not support victims because all accused landlord/masters are politically and financially rich who influence the family and bribe to the police to distort the case.

Islamabad- September 9, 2012: The Institute of Social Justice (ISJ) termed incidents of fire in factories in Lahore and Karachi sheer ignorance, negligence and incompetence of Punjab and Sindh governments and their Labour Departments. Both governments and their labour departments are responsible for the murders of innocent workers including children.

In the press statement, the ISJ regretted over the human loss and said that factory in Lahore was established in residential area which is violation of the Labour Laws.

The ISJ said that both factories’ had not installed any of the precautionary and emergency measures through which inside the factory incidents of fire can be dealt. According to Section 25 of the Factories Act (Amended) 1997, the factories have to take precautionary measures in case of fire.

It is being reported that both factories lacked fire extinguisher tools and workers were not trained to meet such incidents. There were no proper arrangements to evacuate workers from factories. These factories have to provide means of escape in case of fire.

It is mainly because labour officials are bribed who do not bother to monitor implementation of labour laws which strictly demand for the adoption of procedures and methods, and installation of systems (fire system) to make safe and secure environment for workers.

The ISJ demanded that Supreme Court should take notice of these incidents and lodge FIRs against heads of both provincial governments and labour officials.

The ISJ also demanded to take notice of absence of health and safety measures/means in hundreds of factories across the country which have not taken single measures as prescribed in Chapter III (Health and Safety) of the Factories Act (Amended) 1997.

Islamabad- 14 September 2012: The Institute of Social Justice (ISJ) condemns making and release of the film (Innocence of Muslims) which has shocked and hurt not only the feelings and sentiments of people in Muslim world but across the globe who adhere to the values of peace, respect, religious harmony and tolerance. The ISJ urges all countries and World Wide Web to ban the release of the movie and its content (tailor). Heads of all the countries should categorically condemn the movie and its makers and do not allow anyone to humiliate others and their religions.

The ISJ press release said that such acts will not allow the peace lover human rights activists and NGOs in promoting the religious tolerance and harmony in countries where Muslims are in majority. This is difficult and testing time for people of all religious belief in Muslim world, therefore, the ISJ pleaded all the religious groups to stay in peace so that hate mongers do not become successful in creating restlessness in the Muslim world.

Speakers at a seminar on ‘Global Day of Social Justice and the Role of Lawyer Fraternity’ jointly organized by the Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) and the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) at the bar room, urged the lawyer fraternity to play its role to address injustice in society.

On the occasion, advocate Rafaqat Ali from the ISJ said that Islam is a religion of social justice which does not allow for the concentration of wealth in few hands. He urged for land reforms, abolition of slavery and fair distribution of resources among all people.

Abdullah Khoso from the Child Rights Movement (CRM) said that lawyers can contribute in building a just society by doing pro-bono work which means work for public- mainly for poor people who cannot afford to defend their rights in the procedural justice system of judiciary. He added that pro-bono work is basically motivated by a desire to advance social justice. He said lawyers can play important role by helping people to access opportunities and rights in the procedural justice. He said that fair system of law and due process are central in social justice because these help to develop a mechanism by which everyone has access to rights and opportunities.

Syed Nayab Hasan, President IHCBA said inequality is wide spread across the country which is, not poverty, a crucial to the negative effects in Pakistan. He condemned the promotion of separate education and health systems for rich and poor and widening gap between them; none of the governments have adequately addressed issue of inequality in these spheres of life.

Anwar Shah, President District Bar Association, said those nations die if there is no social justice among them. Pakistani nation is going to such death if the rulers did not address the mass scale of injustice immediately. Advocate Riaz Rohi said people in Pakistan have forgotten to follow Quran and last sermon of holly prophet. In the last sermon, the Prophet said there is no superiority for Arab over non-Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab, not for the white over the black, nor for the black over the white.

The speakers also emphasized that the lawyer fraternity to play its role in monitoring of procedural justice and judicial policies vis-a-vis fundamental rights given in the Constitution, reviewing the state of human rights in detention centers/facilities, contributing/influence judicial policy reforms through Bars/Associations and supporting poor victims and offenders who cannot afford to get justice through courts.

Junaid Chudhry, General Secretary IHCBA and others also spoke in the occasion.