Islamabad: Concerned over the deteriorating human rights situation in Pakistan despite takeover by an elected government, the country's rights group said there is a need to redouble efforts to arrest the situation from turning worse.

On the occasion of the 'Universal Human Rights Day' on December 10, chairman of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Afrasiab Khan and its secretary general Hina Jilani, said while the restoration of Democratic rights was still a matter of debate, Pakistanis would observe the Rights Day in a "state of considerable anxiety".

The rights group observed that the promises made by the new government since assuming charge of national affairs made no reference to human rights.

"This is despite the fact that the past year has seen an alarming deterioration in the rights situation for citizens," the HRCP said in a statement, observing that the factors contributing to this included curbs on independence of the judiciary by the executive.

The HRCP noted that the situation for women in the country also continued to worsen. For the first time in over a decade, a woman was sentenced by a court to death by stoning and another woman faced gang rape as the result of a verdict awarded by a tribal gathering. Thousands of women across the country continued to face honour killings, rape, mutilation and domestic violence, the rights body said.

It also lamented the enactment of new "regressive" laws on media and labour, which were aimed at curbing free expression and trade union activities.

The HRCP said the Parliamentary system of government has been placed in jeopardy as a result of the vast expansion in the powers of President Pervez Musharraf who was not elected as per the procedures set by the Constitution. The right to Assembly remained suppressed and was repeatedly being used as a political weapon against opponents of the regime, it said.

With poverty increasing and at least 35 per cent of the country's population living below the poverty line, mass unemployment, continued downsizing and worsening socio- economic conditions made life almost intolerable for people.

The rights group also observed that the condition for children was grimmer than ever. The continued failure to check child labour and increase in trafficking of children, particularly for use as camel jockeys, has contributed to this, while millions of children were being denied education, healthcare and other fundamental rights.

It also blamed amendments in the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) to make possible the picking up of any citizen on suspicion and detain him for up to one year without framing charge.

Referring to the incidents at the Army-controlled agricultural farms in Okara in Punjab where there was lot of labour unrest, the HRCP said unarmed tenants have been gunned down by security forces and efforts were being made to crush their movement by using brute force and open intimidation.

The degree of violence used to suppress attempts by citizens to draw attention to their concerns has been virtually unprecedented, it said.

Also, teachers and doctors have faced fierce police baton-charges and tear-gassing, while rallies by students, lawyers, peace activists, citizens attempting to prevent their houses from demolition and other groups have all been suppressed through the use of State force, it said.

PTI