PPO a ploy to legitimise illegalities: HRCP

 Lahore, January 24: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has voiced alarm at the promulgation of Protection of Pakistan(Amendement) Ordinance 2014 and said the law violated constitutionally guaranteed rights and legitimised illegalities.

In a statement issued on Friday, HRCP said: “There are far too many things in the PPO that rights respecting individuals would find difficult to stomach. The main concerns include giving the authorities the power to withhold information regarding the location of any detainee, or grounds for such detention; detention of a person in internment centre instead of ordinary jails; creating new classifications of suspects such as “enemy alien” or “combatant enemy”; extending the preventive detention period for any suspect; and legitimising illegal detention and enforced disappearance through giving retrospective effect to the law.

“HRCP doubts that when the apex court had declared prolonged and unannounced detention by security forces illegal and called for legislation, ordinances like these were what it had called for. Citing exceptional circumstances to justify derogation of rights and for delegation of exceptional powers to the law enforcers is particularly worrisome in the context of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. The ordinance will only compound the saga of enforced disappearance in Pakistan and strengthen impunity.

“HRCP hopes and expects that the glaring illegalities that the ordinance seeks to facilitate would not escape the notice of the judiciary.

“HRCP is of the opinion that while the new ordinance would certainly strip suspects of many rights, it would not contribute to making the country more secure or holding to account those responsible for widespread bloodletting in Pakistan.

“HRCP is convinced that there is no justification for promulgating an ordinance on such an important issue in the presence of parliament, which should have been allowed to consider the controversial law.”

Zohra Yusuf

Chairperson

Category: English