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Asma against

tampering with Constitution

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: Former chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Asma Jehangir, on Tuesday evening adviced the military rulers to refrain from tampering with the Constitution because whenever it was altered by the military regime the country had to pay a very heavy price in return.

She regretted that ever-since the military takeover in October last year no concrete steps had been taken in respect of human rights of the masses.

Speaking at a meet the press programme here at the Hyderabad Press Club, she said there was no need of any amendments in the Constitution despite the fact that it was an obstance in shape of Zia's 1973 Constitution.

She said the rulers should not try to alter the Constitution either in the name of increasing the number of seats of women or parliament safeguarding the minorities' rights.

She further said currently there was no need of increasing number of women's seats because elections were not going to be held right now.

She maintained that the Constitution was the last support from which we could seek help and only elected representatives could suggest amendments in it if needed so.

About much publicised issue of bonded labour, she asserted that the HRCP was also dubbed as agents of RAW when it advocated the cause of kiln workers in the Punjab. Similarly, she said the HRCP had championed the cause of bonded labour without discrimination in parts of upper and lower Sindh.

He said in Swabi, Balochistan, the HRCP had worked in collaboration with the local organisation "Azad Dehqan". She said the HRCP had never trespassed into the lands of landlord and it always took up the matter through proper channel of administration.

She said the landlords would have to break the customs and traditions of keeping humans in chains or in bondage as at least the HRCP would not going to tolerate it any more. Indeed, she said, that it was a positive initiative that the matter of bonded labour was taken to high court and let the zamindars come and declare that they were not holding anyone in bondage or confinement.

She made it clear that rehabilitation of Haris was not the duty of the HRCP yet it had taken it as a challenge and extra burden and established shelter near Hyderabad.

She clarified that the HRCP was not a political party as it could only create awareness among the masses, adding that it was up to the political parties groups to forcefully take up the issue of provincial autonomy.

Referring to death penalty issue, she said Pakistan was among those five countries where the number of condemned prisoners was very high. She said the HRCP intend to launch a movement against capital punishment and initially it would start opposing death sentence to juvenile offenders.

About the recent visit of South Asia by US President Bill Clinton, she said it was significant but not important and that President Clinton had never been a torch bearer of human rights.

She contended that following his visit to this part of the world Pakistan had understood its position very well when we compared ourselves with India and Bangladesh. "We stand isolated. where is our foreign policy. Economically, we could not compete with India," she claimed.

About retirement of senators from the Upper House, she was of the view that in her opinion no senator stood retired because since the Constitution was held in abeyance the members of lowers and upper houses were also suspended at the same time.

She said any senator could file a constitutional petition in this context, for a senator was supposed to have been retired only after he or she completed his/her term of senatorship and not by way of "age".

She conceded that Nawaz Sharif government did not discharge its duties in accordance with the Constitution but the people were heading in a particular direction and it was hoped that democracy might have taken roots if democratic process was allowed to continue unhindered.