Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) was established in 1987 and since then has developed to become a broad-spectrum, countrywide human rights body. At national level in Pakistan, the HRCP has established a leading role in providing a highly informed and independent voice in the struggle for human rights and democratic development in Pakistan. Primarily, HRCP aims to work for the ratification and implementation by Pakistan of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of other related Charters, Covenants, Protocols, Resolutions, Recommendations and other internationally adopted norms.

The HRCP also works in peacebuilding, working to resolve conflict in Balochistan and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly the North West Frontier Province), as well as reducing tensions between Pakistan and India.

In Balochistan the HRCP has consistently urged the government of Pakistan to ensure political rights and rights over natural resources to the people of the insurgency-hit province instead of launching military operations there. It has also highlighted the need to address other concerns of the Baloch people, such as the high number of enforced disappearances of the people from the province.

In the militancy-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the HRCP has emphasised the need to address the causes of widespread militancy and religious extremism and not just the symptoms. HRCP has opposed the government’s plan of forming civilian lashkars (private militias) to take on the militants, as the strategy is certain to lead to further militarisation of society. Also HRCP has recommended the government to enhance the capacity of civilian law enforcement agencies and urged that the military should be recalled from the area at the earliest. In addition, the organisation has emphasised the need to ensure that human rights and due process are observed in the government forces operations against the militants and that soldiers’ actions are not arbitrary, as the militants’ actions had been.

Members of HRCP are also members of the Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy, South Asian Forum for Human Rights, South Asians for Human Rights and South Asian Free Media Association, working with the aim of realisation of people’s aspirations for peace between India and Pakistan and across the region.