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153Freedom of assembly

Freedom of assemblyEvery citizen shall have the right to assemble peacefully and without

arms, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interestof public order.

Constitution of PakistanArticle 16

Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 20(1)Freedom of Assembly

Assemblies give citizens a collective right to seek a government’saccountability and decide on how they are governed. A democratically electedgovernment has the responsibility to not just allow peaceful assembly but alsofacilitate it, protecting it against any undue interference by the state apparatus.

Though many large-scale protests were held in the country in 2014, thegovernment did not ensure the freedom of assembly, as guaranteed in thenational and international laws, for most protesters. It differentiated betweendifferent groups of protestors on the space provided to them to exercise theirright to peaceful assembly. As in previous years, authorities’ negligence andpoor management allowed routine administrative problems and demands forbasic rights to fester and develop into mass protests.

A large number of people pressed their demands for basic amenities suchas gas, electricity, petrol and affordable food.Relatives of missing people tookto streets in Balochistan and other areas in the country for their recovery.

154 State of Human Rights in 2014

Persons with disabilities sought better inclusion in social life. Widespreadcondemnation and protests also followed the murder of a Christian couple,who were tortured and then incinerated in a brick kiln after being accused ofblasphemy in a village near Lahore. But for most of the year much of themedia spotlight was fixed on political protests by the opposition PakistanTehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party – against what it called a systematic rigging of2013 general elections — and a religio-political Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT),a party with no seats in the parliament, that wanted Prime Minister NawazSharif to cede power to a “national government” led by technocrats who“should halve food prices, reduce income disparities and end terrorism”.

Some analysts believed that the rallies and the disruption they caused toroutine life, especially in Islamabad, could have been avoided had thegovernment set up a tribunal to investigate the rigging claims. The government’sdecision to place large containers around Model Town, the housing society inLahore where PAT leader Tahir-ul-Qadri resides, allegedly to curtail the PATprotesters’ movement, was an undue interference by the state. Also, theexcessive use of bullets, tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and batonsduring protests in the country during 2014 proved that protesters’ protectionwas not a government priority. A violent clash between police and PAT workerson June 17, led to the deaths of at least 14 PAT workers and injuries to 100others after the police tried to remove barriers placed around Qadri’s house.The incident highlighted the use of excessive force by the police that allegedlyused live rounds to disperse the crowd. HRCP, in a statement issued on June18, questioned the police’s reasoning in removing the barricades in place formany years around Qadri’s house on the eve of his arrival in Pakistan. Anoperation to remove barricades alone should not have led to so many deathsand injuries, hinting that the move was politically motivated. It was clear thatQadri and his stated aim to mount a revolution against the government werethe threats at issue.

International covenants as well as national laws say that participation inpeaceful public assemblies should be voluntary and un-coerced. However,there have been reports, not verified by the HRCP, that some people, whojoined the PAT and PTI protests, had been promised payment for theirparticipation. Many months into the sit-ins, many families wished to return totheir homes but were allegedly not allowed to leave by the leaders of theprotests. A woman filed a petition in December in a Lahore court againstTahir-ul-Qadri and other PAT leadership for allegedly refusing to pay the duesshe was promised in exchange for attending the sit-in in Islamabad. Thepetitioner, Hajan Momina, stated that her ID card, along with other women’scards had been collected by PAT workers to ensure their attendance and eachattendant was promised Rs 3,500 per sit-in day. When the sit-in ended 70 dayslater and the women demanded their dues, they were allegedly mistreated by


the party workers at their Lahore office. The judge sought comments fromthe Station House Officer (SHO) at Faisal Town police station on December25. Such practices have been commonly reported about political gatherings inKarachi where it is alleged that ID cards are collected in a door-to-door campaignand returned at the venue of the gathering to ensure attendance.

Power and fuel protestsWith 60% electricity load shedding, i.e. 15 hours in 24 hours, and a shortfall

of nearly 6000 MW, people bore the brunt of the summer without electricity in45 degree Celsius temperatures. Officials at various energy departmentscontinued to claim that the electricity shortfall did not exceed 2,300 MW. Withthe country producing only 49% of the energy requirements, natural gas alsofell short of the demand.

Due to increasing shortfalls and hiring of private firms to provide expensiveelectricity, the price of electricity had to be increased every year to meet therising costs. In August, people said they received highly inflated power billswhich led many to protest in the streets. In September, the local businesses ofIslamabad protested against inflated bills by the Islamabad Electric SupplyCompany (IESCO). Similar protests were held in Faisalabad, Lahore, Gujranwalaand other cities.

On September 11, protests were held in Gujranwala and Gujrat against16- to 20-hour electricity load shedding. Even during Eid, gas load sheddingmade cooking food at home impossible. Load shedding and over-billing forcedresidents to protest in front of Wapda and Gujranwala Electric Power Company

People protest continuing energy shortfall.


(GEPCO) offices.As the winter season progressed, the people had to face gas shortage. On

December 16, the residents of Rawalpindi staged protest demonstrations byburning tyres and raising slogans against authorities. Similar protests wereheld throughout December all over the country as gas supply remained low inmost residential areas.

Protests against attacksThe year began with the usual spate of senseless violence against Shiite

Hazaras. On January 21, two buses of Shiite Hazara pilgrims were targeted inMastung, Balochistan, by suicide blast and indiscriminate firing. At least 28persons were killed and 37 injured, including women and children. A sectariangroup, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, claimed responsibility for the attack. The familiesof the victims, along with other members of the Shiite Hazara community,once again staged a sit-in on Alamdar Road in Quetta, Balochistan, for almost60 hours, braving the fierce cold. In a sad replay of previous year’s protests,the families refused to bury the dead until justice was served. Despite‘successful’ negotiations which ended the sit-in, attacks against Shiite Hazaraswere repeated thrice in October, all three of which occurred in Quetta. Despiterepeated attacks on ethnic and religious minorities and acceptance ofresponsibility by certain militant groups, the government failed to prosecutethose responsible for the violent acts. The government’s laxity in going aftermilitant groups responsible for targeting minorities indicates either incompetenceor collusion.

Following a barbaric attack by the Taliban on the Army Public School inPeshawar on December 16, in which more than 150 persons, at least 132 ofwhom were young students, lost their lives, many emotionally charged protestswere held all over Pakistan. The most sustained and systematic of these washeld on December 19 in front of the Red mosque in Islamabad, against whichthe army had led an operation in July 2007 to what it called fight armed militantsinside. The Imam of the mosque, Maulana Abdul Aziz, known for his extremistviews, had refused to condemn the attack in Peshawar. In a move to hold theMaulana accountable for his sympathetic views on the Taliban, hundreds ofmembers of civil society, students, journalists and politicians gathered outsidethe mosque in a movement labelled ‘Reclaim Your Mosque’ and demandedthat the Maulana condemn the attack. At the request of the mosque management,a case was registered against the protestors under section 144 for blockingthe road and delivering ‘hate speech’ against the mosque administration. Inresponse to the protest, Maulana Aziz threatened the protesters of launchingsuicide bombings against them if they did not disperse. The protesters thenmarched towards the Abpara police station to register a case against MaulanaAbdul Aziz under section 506 (2) of the Pakistan Penal Code, concerning


offence of criminal intimidation. Later in the evening, after civil society campedoutside the police station, the case was registered. The protesters, however,pledged to continue their sit-in until the Maulana was arrested. The policedemanded time till December 26 for investigation and promised to act whenthe deadline expired at 6pm on the date, though no action was taken till the endof the year. The leader of the ‘Reclaim Your Mosque’ movement received aphone call allegedly from Ehsanullah Ehsan, the spokesman for the TTP, whothreatened the protestors of dire consequences if they did not disperse. Protestsand vigils in solidarity with the Red mosque protests were held in Lahore,Karachi and Faisalabad.

In January, a number of people, mostly belonging to PTI and Sunni Tehrik,protested the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran and a mosque by forciblyclosing down shops and bazaars in Sialkot. The protesters burnt tyres andblocked the main Allama Iqbal Chowk for up to six hours. The accused, whowas allegedly mentally challenged, had set some mats in the mosque on firewhich engulfed some copies of the Quran as well. The police said intelligenceagencies took the accused to an unknown location for interrogation.

On January 4, Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), a pro-Shiite politico-religious organisation, held protests in several cities including Lahore, Rawalpindi,Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Multan as well as in London to protest growingtargeted attacks against the Shiites and the government’s failure to apprehendthe killers. Despite the pleas another deadly attack on Shiite pilgrims in Mastung,Balochistan on January 21 took the lives of 26 people.

On the death anniversary of Governor Salman Taseer in January, journalistsand members of political parties made speeches in his support at a candlelightvigil held by the civil society in Lahore. Also, 250 madrasa students participated

A sit-in on Alamdar Road in Quetta against killing of Shia pilgrims.


in a rally in support of Taseer’s convicted killer Mumtaz Qadri organised byMumtaz Qadri Lovers’ Forum.

On June 16, the Hazara Shiites of Quetta staged protests against the banon road travel to Iran through the restive province of Balochistan. Theprotesters demanded that the ban be lifted and better security provided to thepilgrims travelling to holy sites in Iraq and Iran. The ban came as a result ofincidents of terrorism against pilgrims in the remote town of Taftan. Foursuicide bombers struck two restaurants, killing 24 pilgrims on their way home.The protesters urged lifting of the ban because they could not afford expensiveairplane tickets. Such moves indicated that the government was not only illequipped to provide security to its citizens but also openly admitted this. Theat-risk populations were left to their own devices to seek private security or tobarricade themselves inside their homes to avoid untoward incidents.

In February, several civil society and human rights groups staged protestdemonstrations all over the country against a government decision to holdpeace talks with the Taliban. Speakers at the demonstrations said the Talibanwere responsible for countless acts of terror and negotiating peace with themwould not prove successful. They demanded a strict military operation towipe out terrorism from the country. Women’s rights groups also resentednon-inclusion of women in the team selected for talks with the Taliban. Theyargued that the Taliban’s barbarity was felt most strongly by the women undertheir rule and they had the most to lose if the Taliban gained control of anyterritories in Pakistan.

The threats faced by the religious and ethnic minorities were manifold.According to HRCP media monitoring, 11 Hindu temples and churches were

‘Reclaim Your Mosque’ protest in Islamabad.


attacked in Sindh alone. On May 24, about 300 people belonging to the Sikhfaith stormed the parliament building in Islamabad to protest against thedesecration of their holy book. The storming, later termed a major securitylapse, interrupted the House proceedings. After almost an hour, the leader ofthe House talked the protesters into calling off the protest.

On March 29, residents of Kali Mata Colony in Larkana, Sindh protestedon the streets against an arson attack on a Hindu temple. They burnt tyres andblocked traffic on Tando Muhammad Khan road, demanding greater securityfor religious minorities. The attack came only a week after a similar arsonattack in Larkana carried out to protest alleged desecration of the Quran.

Political protestsThe year saw one of the most sustained political protests in Pakistan’s

history. Between August and December, the airwaves were dominated by theprotests and sit-ins held by PTI and PAT. The PTIstarted its rallies on August14 against what it called rigging in the national elections in May 2013. The PATrallies, known as ‘Inquilab March’ were held for removal of the prime ministeras well as revamping the political system of the country. Holding protests inD-chowk of Islamabad, in immediate vicinity of the Red Zone where importantstate institutions like the Parliament house are situated, was meant to send outa clear message. They did have the right to exercise their freedom of assemblybut in storming the Red Zone in the hopes of entering the Prime Minister’sHouse, they perhaps exceeded their rights and invited retaliation by the police.Late at night on August 19, Imran Khan, leader of PTI ordered the marchersto force their way into the Red Zone. On September 1, the protestors stormedthe head office of Pakistan Television (PTV) in Islamabad, disrupting itstransmission, destroying property and harassing staff inside. In the third phaseof the PTI protests, Imran Khan announced a schedule to shut down major

Kali Mata Colony residents converge on a road leading to Tando MohammadKhan against the attack on Hanuman Tempe.


cities in the country. On December 8, when Faisalabad was shut down, theworkers of the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) alsotook out a rally on the same locations announced by PTI. A clash eruptedbetween the party workers which left one PTI protestor dead and 14 othersinjured, three of whom were policemen. Even though the PML-N workerscould have chosen a different location for their gathering, the PTI leadershipwas also blamed for inciting the young party workers to engage in violentbehaviour. The chief minister ordered a probe and an FIR was registeredunder PPC as well as ATA by the brother of the deceased PTI worker. Inresponse to his death, PTI workers held protests throughout Pakistan. Mainroads were blocked in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. Similarly, on December16, Lahore was locked down and 28 key points were blocked. The PTI workersburnt tyres, put up barbed wire and barricaded Lahore’s main roads.

On August 21, the Lahore High Court (LHC) refused to hear a petitionseeking a restraining order against the Azadi March of PTI. The petitioneralleged that the march and sit-in were an international conspiracy to createanarchy in Pakistan. He requested formation of a judicial commission toinvestigate the objectives of the protest. The court dismissed the petition withthe remarks that nobody could be stopped from holding a peaceful sit-in orprotest.

There were reports that the arrangements made for the protesters in frontof the Parliament House in D-Chowk were insufficient. In the absence ofproper shelter, the protesters sat in the scorching heat the entire day, awaitingtheir leaders, who made their appearance every day after sundown. Lack oftoilets in the area caused severe discomfort, especially to women. In the absenceof any markets nearby, the participants had to walk significant distances tobuy items of daily use. It is understood that the protesters who leave thecomfort of home to protest on the streets shall inevitably face difficulties butthe party leaders whom they so devotedly follow should make properarrangements for their security and well-being.

On August 21, the Supreme Court issued notices to PTI chairman andPAT chief for creating impediments on the Constitutional Avenue. The SupremeCourt Bar Association (SCBA) submitted a petition to a five-member benchheaded by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk saying that cases were being adjournedbecause the lawyers and judges could not appear in court on time. The SCBAchief who had filed the petition under Article 184(3), contended that the politicalstandoff or impasse was affecting all spheres of national life.

In early January, protests were held in many parts of Sindh over MuttahidaQaumi Movement’s (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain saying in a speech that aseparate province or even a country could be demanded for the Urdu-speakingpopulation if their rights were usurped. The protesters demanded an apologyfrom the MQM chief for hurting the sentiments of the Sindhi speaking population


of the province and for calling for a separation of Sindh from Pakistan.

ViolenceIncidents of violence and use of excessive force against protestors set

many examples during the year. Despite claims that rubber bullets had beenimported for crowd control, high number of casualties with evidence of bulletwounds suggested that live rounds were used with possible shoot-to-kill orders.The police, regardless of gender, showed unusual cruelty in handling unarmedcivilians as well as persons with disabilities, all seeking justice with fairdemands. The police excessively used batons for crowd control making nodistinction between the young and old. News channels often showed footageof several policemen hitting a single protestor, who happened to have fallenand left behind, with batons. Such behaviour was more of a vengeful naturethan for peacemaking and diffusing the situation.

During an operation to remove barriers from the house of Pakistan AwamiTehreek’s (PAT) Amir Tahir-ul-Qadri’s house by the Punjab police, 11 personsdied and hundreds were injured in the ensuing clashes. On June 16, the dayTahir-ul-Qadri was set to arrive in Lahore, the operation to remove the barriers,which had been in place for years, was announced. When the police proceededto remove the barriers, said to encroach on public property, a clash eruptedbetween PAT workers and the police. The police proceeded to baton chargeand shell the protestors with tear gas. According to police, 27 policemen wereinjured while 53 protestors were arrested. During investigations, the policesaid they were ordered by the Superintendent of Police (SP) to fire live rounds

Police stopping and baton charge on blind persons at Davis Roadas they tried to record their protest in front of CM House.


in the air after PAT workers initiated the firing. On August 25, Inspector General(IG) of Police, Punjab issued orders for the transfer of 11 SP rank policeofficers, including three who were present in Model Town at the time of theclashes. Though suspension of superiors found responsible for such illegalorders is a start, it is not where the process should end. Those responsibleshould be tried in court and punished. The police should be trained in modernmethods of crowd control which ensure the security of both police andprotestors.

On April 28, Amna Janjua, Chairperson of a rights group, Defence ofHuman Rights Pakistan, along with relatives of missing persons held ademonstration at D-chowk in Islamabad against enforced and involuntarydisappearances. When the protestors attempted to approach Parliament Housein the Red Zone, the police resorted to aerial firing, tear gas, and baton-charge.The police arrested eight men and four women including Amna Janjua. Whatwas particularly troubling, though, was the manner women police handled MsJanjua while arresting her. Journalists rushed to the scene to record the incidentand videos of women police roughing up Ms Janjua were telecast live on TV.The police were seen pushing and shoving her, pulling her clothes and hair,throwing her inside the police van and whisking her away. The journaliststrying to record the incident were also targeted. Their equipment was snatchedand destroyed and many were wounded. Later that day, the prime ministerissued a statement that he disapproved of police torture and ordered the releaseof all protestors.

On December 3, on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, visuallyimpaired persons staged a demonstration in front of Lahore Press Club seekingan increase in the government job quota for persons with disabilities. Whenthe protestors started moving towards the CM House from Davis Road, thepolice tried to stop them since a presidential convoy was expected to passthrough the route shortly. When the protestors refused to back off, the policebaton charged and manhandled the protestors. The brutal response of thepolice was seen as a violation of basic rights of a group already severelymarginalized due to their disability. Five police officials were suspended butthe original demands of the visually impaired protestors drowned in the chaos.

CurbsThe right to enjoy freedom of assembly, one guaranteed to all citizens

without discrimination, was perhaps extended to some groups more thanothers. In a bid to register their complaints with the United Nations office inIslamabad, the Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), a group comprisingrelatives of missing persons and against enforced and involuntarydisappearances, marched on foot from Quetta to Islamabad. These dozen orso unarmed men, women and children with only a cart full of pictures of


missing relatives and friends were intimidated at several points during theirjourney, threatened to turn back and cease their protest. In Wazirabad, Punjab,unidentified persons surrounded the marcher’s camp at night, allegedly tointimidate them. In February, Mama Abdul Qadeer, who was heading the longmarch, received threatening phone calls and text messages, warning that themarchers would not be allowed to enter Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to thecapital Islamabad and the official headquarters of the Pakistan armed forces.The threats were widely condemned by civil society and eventually VBMPentered the capital safely on March 4. On the other hand, on December 5Jamat’ud’Dawa, the charity wing of the banned militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, organised a two-day national conference in Punjab’s capital Lahore.It called for the complete enforcement of Shariah and reviving jihad againstPakistan’s enemies. Speeches were also made against Pakistan’s attempts tomake peace with India.

Over the course of roughly five months of the PTI and PAT protests, thepolice set new records of arbitrarily detaining individuals over flimsy charges.The arrests, made under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) 1960 andfor violations of Section 144 of the CrPC, were dubbed as blatant harassment.Such a systematic campaign sets dangerous precedent by the government toclamp down on fundamental freedoms. As of August, a total of 1,980 partyworkers belonging to PTI and PAT were behind bars in various jails of Punjab.Also, within a few weeks, almost 3000 to 5000 arrested workers were releasedshowing that the charges against them were weak. Most of the workers werekept in Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi jails. Heavycontingents of police at all entry points into Lahore thoroughly checked thevehicles of the party workers. The move was seen as an unnecessary hindrance

A long march from Balochistan to Islamabad against enforced disappearances.


to bar the workers from attending the rallies in Lahore. Article 10 of theConstitution, on preventive detention, should have no place in moderndemocratic societies, at least during peacetime.

Lawyers, laborers, journalists, teachersAs targeted attacks against polio workers, lawyers, human rights defenders

and teachers continued with impunity, protests around the country wereorganised to call for bringing the attackers to justice. Farmers’ demands forland rights, which have been consistently made for decades, continued thisyear but there was no debate in the parliament on land reforms. Unfair landallocations and land grabbing by the mafia continued from the Thar desert toMuridke, Punjab.

On January 1, the Sindh Land Reforms Movement (SLRM), a network ofpeasants and civil society organisations, staged public rallies for provision ofagricultural land to the landless peasants. Their demands included initiatingland reforms according to the Land Reforms Act 1977. The governments ofSindh and Punjab were at the forefront of those who asked the SupremeCourt to maintain a status quo on land reforms in recent years despite glaringdisparities in land distribution.

Journalists all over the country held demonstrations, vigils and protestsagainst an attempt on the life of Hamid Mir, an anchorperson of Geo News,aleading Urdu-language news channel in Pakistan. He was shot six times in a

Nurses protest in Lahore.


targeted attack on his car in Karachi on April 19. In the aftermath of theattack, Mir’s brother accused Pakistan’s leading intelligence agency, the ISI,of orchestrating the attack. Geo News aired images of the then ISI chief alongwith the accusations. Consequently, the defence ministry urged the nationalmedia regulator to cancel Geo TV’s broadcasting licence. On the request,Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended Geo’slicence for 15 days and imposed a Rs 10 million fine in June. Till the year’send though, Geo was still unavailable in many localities. Journalists and activistssaw this closure as a blatant violation of freedom of information and pressfreedom. In September, journalists, political party representatives, membersof civil society in Hyderabad demonstrated against the illegal closure of Geo.Amnesty International termed the ban an ‘attack on press freedom’.

On February 9, dozens of farmers from Kotla Laghari, Muzaffargarh,protested against the government’s plan to set up a coal power plant on theirlands. The protestors staged a sit-in and blocked traffic for up to seven hours.The area is home to three other power projects which have allegedly addedpollutants to the area and degraded the quality of air. The farmers demandedthat the government use infertile land close to the area rather than destroyingtheir farmland and their livelihood. About 100 acres of privately owned landwas earmarked for the project but a large desert area nearby which belongedto the state was spared.

On February 14, female teachers protested outside the Peshawar PressClub against their forced induction into polio vaccination campaigns in theprovince. The Sher Shah Suri road was blocked for a while by the All Female

Journalists all over the country held demonstrations, vigils and protestsagainst an attempt on the life of Hamid Mir.


Teachers Association. They said that the government had failed to provideprotection to the polio vaccinators. Even the security personnel accompanyingthe teams were unsafe and had failed to protect the vaccinators. In 2014,Pakistan recorded 305 polio cases. According to media reports, at least 30polio vaccinators have been killed as well as 30 security personnel guardingthem since December 2012 in Pakistan.

In September, dozens of teachers protested for nine days at the BoatBasin in Karachi for their wage arrears. Almost 3,600 teachers had beenappointed in June 2012 by the then education minister but their salaries hadnot been paid for two years. On the ninth day of the protest, when the PPPsent a minister with the government’s last offer, the protest turned violent.The government proposed that all the appointed teachers take the NationalTesting Service (NTS) exam after which 1,425 vacancies would be open. Theteachers could then apply again and receive their appointment on merit. Theminister, however, did not address the issue of dues which angered theprotesters. When they tried to force their way into Bilawal House, the policebaton charged them and dispersed them with water cannon.

On May 7, HRCP’s Multan Task Force Coordinator and eminent humanrights activist Rashid Rehman was shot and killed in Multan by two gunmenfor representing in court a blasphemy accused. Lawyers, activists, journalistsand civil society in general took out rallies in all major cities of Pakistan againstthe murder as well as the government’s lack of response to letters demandinggreater security for Rehman prior to the fatal attack. A few days before themurder, he had been threatened by a lawyer and some militants in open court.Despite repeated letters to the authorities, steps were not taken to either prevent

Protest against the killing of HRCP coordinator Rashid Rehman.


the attack or catch the perpetrators.Ad hoc nurses in Lahore protested against the government and the Health

Department officials on Copper Road for regularization of their services. Onthe 5th day of protest on March 15, the nurses marched towards the PunjabAssembly to register their protest when the police along with lady constablesattacked them with batons. The police tortured the nurses, injuring several ofthem, including a pregnant nurse, whose condition deteriorated after the attack.The police also arrested 10 nurses and locked them up at the Race Coursewomen police station without registering any first information reports (FIR).Following the violent attack, nurses from hospitals all over Lahore joined theprotest to condemn police torture.

Protests on social issuesOn November 4, in Kot Radha Kishan, a city in Kasur District, 40 miles

from provincial capital Lahore, a Christian couple was accused of desecratingthe Quran, beaten severely and then their bodies (one reported dead and theother alive) burnt in the brick kiln where they worked, by a mob consisting oflocal villagers. The incident was condemned by all sections of society for itsbrutality and sparked a debate about the treatment of minorities in Pakistan.Immediately after the incident, members of civil society visited the brick kilnwhere the incident had occurred and placed flowers and candles inremembrance of the two victims. On Sunday, November 9, hundreds ofChristians took to the streets in Islamabad to protest against the attack. Amember of the World Minorities Alliance stated during the event that the impunityenjoyed by the perpetrators was the reason that such mob attacks keptrecurring. On November 27, during a National Assembly session, MNAs jointlycondemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishments for culprits.Different political parties, including MQM and PAT held protest and vigils.

On October 28 in Quetta, a seven-year-old girl belonging to the Hazaracommunity was tortured and strangled before being dumped in a garbage cannear her house. According to Quetta’s police chief, it was a case of attemptedrape. The signs of violence on her small body and the red marks on her neckfrom strangulation with a rope proved that the child had died an agonizingdeath. In the face of police’s apparent inaction, the Hazara community protestedagainst the incident on November 8 outside the office of IG ofPolice,Balochistan. They chanted slogans against the police for failing to arrestthe culprits responsible for the crime. The police said there had been no progressin investigations, a position which continued till the end of the year. Thecontinuation of such attacks points towards the incapacity or unwillingness ofthe government to end impunity enjoyed by those behind these attacks.

Baloch student activist Latif Johar Baloch went on a hunger strike for 46days in May and June to protest against the abduction of Baloch StudentOrganisation-Azad (BSO-A) chief, Zahid Baloch allegedly by intelligence


agencies. The strike started out as a hunger strike until the recovery of ZahidBaloch or till death. However, he ended the strike on the 46th day after otherpersons working for the recovery of missing persons convinced him to end it.Johar was camped outside the Karachi Press Club as his health slowlydeteriorated and he lost considerable weight. He was visited by the Balochistanchief minister who promised he would get an FIR registered against theabduction.

On June 14, hundreds of residents of Chak 61 near Faisalabad staged ademonstration and blocked the road to protest against the lack of policeresponse to the killing of two men in their village. The protesters blocked theLahore-Faisalabad road for traffic by placing the bodies on the road. Theprotesters claimed that four to five persons had shot and killed the young menand despite informing the police, no one from the security force had shownup and the attackers managed to flee. Police baton charged the protesters.Some of the protesters fired shots in the air but no one was injured. TheStation House Officer (SHO) then met with the protesters and assured themthat the perpetrators would be caught.

On January 30, the Awami Worker Party, a left-wing political party, heldprotest demonstrations in Lahore and Islamabad against the on-going operationin Balochistan by the security forces. The party workers chanted slogansagainst the Frontier Corps, stating that there was a lack of transparency andopenness in such operations. They also called for the detainees to be tried incourt so that innocent civilians were not targeted. Protesters also demandedan inquiry into the discovery of mass graves in Tootak,Balochistan.

On March 5, a protest was held in Mingora, Swat by women belonging tothe families of missing persons. They demanded the safe recovery of theirfamily members who had been missing for four years. The protesters marchedfrom Kanju area to Saidu Sharif road holding pictures and identity cards oftheir missing relatives. They dispersed later after assurances from the police

PAT sit-in panoramic view.


that their concerns shall be conveyed to the relevant quarters.In September, Pakistan Institute of Labor Education and Research (PILER)

and Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PSDN) held a protest at Karachi PressClub against the various forms of discrimination against the Hindu community.Earlier the same month, two Hindu shopkeepers in Umerkot had been murdered.Kidnappings for ransom and forced conversions were rampant and these crimeswere being committed with impunity. Such incidents have increased the levelof insecurity for the entire community, especially in Sindh. The religiousminorities in Pakistan often fall victim to violence and sexual assault owing totheir community’s lack of political representation and influence.

On August 15, dozens of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) from NorthWaziristan, dislocated as a result of the military operation Zarb-e-Azab, stageda protest in front of the Peshawar Press Club and demanded their repatriationand an end to the conflict that had forced them from their homes. A majorityof the IDPs had taken refuge in school buildings in Bannu during the summervacations. In August, however, when the schools were due to be opened, theIDPs were asked to vacate the buildings. They were not allowed to returnhome either though the security forces claimed to have cleared their areas ofresidence like Mirali, Miranshah and other tehsils.

In late September, business and trade activities in Panjgur, Kharan, Gwadar,Kech, Wadh and other districts of Balochistan came to a standstill. The strikewas called by the Baloch Warna Movement and the Baloch National Front(BNF), a political alliance of Baloch nationalist organisations, against therecovery of dead bodies in Panjgur, Khuzdar, Kech and Awaran districts.Different activists of nationalist parties claimed that three people were kidnappedand subsequently killed in illegal detention. On September 26, human remains

IDPs from North Waziristan Agency protested against mismanagementin food distribution at food point and blocked the Kohat-Bannu road.


almost a year old were found in two gunny sacks near a river in Panjgur. Theremains were sent to Lahore and Karachi for DNA testing though the nationalistorganisations claimed they belonged to missing persons. Further protests andstrikes were held on the 29th of September in Chagai, Nushki, Kharan, AwaranBolan, Hub etc against the new wave of dumping of mutilated bodies.

On June 20, thousands of people, predominantly women and children,took to the streets in Panjgur, to protest against closure of private schools forfive consecutive days. The protesters were carrying placards in support oftheir demand for better security to private schools. The protest anddemonstration came as a result of a threat issued by Tanzeem-ul-Islam-ul-Furqan (TIF), ordering co-educational and ‘western-style’ learning schools toimmediately shut down.

Recommendations1. The government should facilitate and protect persons joining a

peaceful assembly as an indicator of a genuine democracy

2. The police should be trained in modern methods of crowd controlwhich ensure the protection of the police as well as the protestors.

3. Section 144 of the CrPC and Maintenance of Public Order (MPO)1960 have been increasingly used to curb the right of peaceful assembly ofpersons. The laws on arrest and detention should be reconsidered as preventivedetention has no place in modern democratic societies.

4. The government’s complaint mechanism should be improved so thatcitizens’ concerns could be addressed and expeditiously resolved.

freedom of assembly - hrcphrcp-web.org/hrcpweb/data/ar14c/3-4 freedom of assembly...freedom of...

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