Pakistan
The 2010 UN Development Index ranked Pakistan at 125 out of 169countries, down from 112 in 2008. Global indices relating to gender,children¶s rights and corruption showed Pakistan near the bottom. Womenand vulnerable groups faced legal discrimination and high levels of abuse andviolence. Weaknesses in the rule of law, along with a dysfunctional criminaljustice system, restricted access to justice for the vast majority of those whoneeded it. NGOs continued to make allegations of extra-judicial killings, other ill treatment and torture by state agencies. Devastating flooding in Augustcoupled with poor governance resulted in the ineffective delivery of basicservices such as education and healthcare. Freedom of expression and of religion or belief remained limited, in part because of repressive measures bythe state, but also because of increased religious conservatism within society,and the activities of violent extremist organisations. The ongoing conflict inthe border regions caused a huge displacement of the resident population,and associated rights violations.Internal instability, conflict and humanitarian disaster have taken their toll onhuman rights. However, the current administration did make some progress,notably ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rightsand the Convention against Torture (although with reservations) ; reform of theconstitution to decentralise power; and moves towards electoral reform. Thedemocratically elected government of Asif Zardari passed the halfway mark of its term in office, a notable landmark in a country where no electedgovernment has seen out its tenure. A vibrant media and civil societycontinued to flourish, albeit within certain parameters, and the judi ciary,although heavily politicised, remained highly independent of the executive .Pakistan remains one of our highest foreign policy priorities, and 2010 sawministerial visits from the Foreign Secretary William Hague, Home SecretaryTheresa May, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell andMinister without Portfolio Baroness Warsi. Implementation of Pakistan¶s
international human rights commitments is integral to ensuring long -termprosperity and stability, and is in our national interest.In 2010 the FCO continued to work closely with other UK governmentdepartments, the government of Pakistan, other governments and NGOs toaddress key human rights challenges. In particular, we focused on supportingthe government of Pakistan in ratifying and implementing key internationalhuman rights instruments; tackling the discrimination and abuse faced bywomen and minority groups; and enhancing international coordination onhuman rights. Our lobbying contributed to the government of Pakistan¶sdecision to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights andthe Convention against Torture, although we are concerned by thereservations that it made when doing so. Our support also helped the Ministryfor Women¶s Development to make significant progress towards thecriminalisation of domestic violence, along with other legal measures toremove discrimination against women. We also provided capacity buildingand support to civil society groups to support their work in speaking outagainst extremism and intolerance, and in support of democracy and reform.The year 2010 was an extremely challenging one for Pakistan, and 2011 islikely to follow a similar course. It is estimated that 20 million people weredirectly affected by the unprecedented flooding. We are working closely withPakistan and international partners to ensure that there is a credible recoveryplan in place.We will continue to intervene on human rights issues in Pakistan where webelieve we can make a positive difference. For 2011, our focus will be on four key priorities: to support an end to discrimination and violence againstwomen; to strengthen freedom of expression, religion and belief; to encouragestronger implementation of Pakistan¶s international commitments; and to buildthe capacity of civil society and bodies mandated to challenge the state¶seffectiveness on human rights, such as the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights.
Elec
tions
The elections of 2008 were described by the EU as relatively fair and free.Election observation missions made several recommendations about how theelectoral process could be improved. The Election Commission of Pakistan,with the support of the international community, continued to push ahead withits five-year strategy for electoral reform, which began in 2009; this is focusedon policy, administrative and legal reforms. Some real progress was madeduring the course of 2010. The list of registered voters continued to berevised by the National Data Registration Agency in conjunction with theElection Commission, who also put in place several internal reforms toimprove the way they work. We have been highly supportive of these effortsand have lobbied the government and parliament on the need for suchreforms. There is senior political support for change in this regard but themomentum needs to be maintained to ensure freer and fairer elections,scheduled for 2013.
A
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ss to justi
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The justice sector in Pakistan is under-trained, often politicised, corrupt andunder-resourced. The courts currently face a backlog of more than 1 millioncases. Successful convictions are rare. Police investigations are oftenseriously flawed, based on allegation rather than evidence, and trials cannotbe described as either fair or free in many cases, being marked by delay andintimidation. The government has made little progress on a comprehensivenational strategy towards improving the situation, instead focusing on ad hocmeasures such as increasing police salaries in Punjab. This is in part becausethe responsibility for formulating and implementing policy rests with theprovincial rather than the federal-level government. The chief justice of theSupreme Court published a national judicial policy to tackle some of theseissues amongst the judiciary in 2009, which in 2010 achieved a slightreduction in the huge backlog of cases.Because the problems are on such a significant scale, we focused onparticular issues or areas where we can make a difference. In 2010, weworked with local partners to improve the awareness of legislation around
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Pakistan
FCO Human Rights Report 2010
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