Pakistan has received 340 recommendations from UN member states on its fourth periodic report on the country’s human rights situation.
The Pakistan government will now examine the UN recommendations and report back to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in its forthcoming meeting, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported.
A draft report prepared by the Working Group on Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on Wednesday stated: “All conclusions and/or recommendations contained in the present report reflect the position of the submitting state(s) and/or the state under review. They should not be construed as endorsed by the Working Group as a whole.”
Pakistan’s response to the recommendations will be included in the outcome report adopted by the HRC at its 53rd session, the draft report added.
According to Dawn newspaper, the HRC selected Argentina, Gambia and Nepal as the group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Pakistan.
During the interactive dialogue, 122 delegations made statements. Canada proposed to develop a strong policy and delivery mechanism to ensure the registration of women voters, and protect women voters from violence and disenfranchisement as they cast their ballots, Dawn newspaper reported.
Several countries demanded the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and incorporate it into domestic law.
India on Monday took a jibe at Pakistan saying the human rights record in the country has deteriorated drastically, with minorities being subjected to persecution.
Speaking at Pakistan’s Human Rights Record Review at UN Human Rights Council, Pawan Badhe, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, said the Muslim minorities in Pakistan, including Shias, and Hazaras, have been subjected to violence and systemic persecution.
He added that the targeting of human rights advocates, political activists, and journalists has been done by Pakistan using extrajudicial abductions, forced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and torture as weapons of state policy.
“India recommends Pakistan to end systemic persecution of minorities, misuse of blasphemy laws & forced convergence of minority community girls. Stop targeting political dissidents and legitimate political activities in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khabar Pakhtunkhwa,” Badhe said in his address.
He also called for credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustained action against terrorism emanating from territories under its control.
Human rights watchdog, Amnesty International on January 29 called on UN member states to fix accountability for Pakistan’s human rights record, reported Balochistan Affairs, a non-partisan multiplatform media forum.
Amnesty International has strongly urged all UN Member States to engage in effective and meaningful discussions with Pakistan, including following up on their past recommendations and offering concrete recommendations to improve respect for human rights in the country.