New Delhi: Speakers at a US Congressional briefing on human rights situation in Pakistan have said the global reliance on Islamabad for the war against terror has "emboldened the dictator" and created hardships for the civil society.

The briefing, co-chaired by Congressman S Tancredo and American Samoa's Congressman Faleomavaega in Washington, also saw participants asking Washington to declare the South Asian nation a "Country of Particular Concern".

"In the place of democracy, exists a complex network of State-sponsored terrorist groups who are empowered with a right to rule by whatever means," Hamid Hussain of the World Sindhi Institute told the hearing late last week.

"In the chaos of Pakistan, it is no surprise that crime gangs composed of Government members and comrades to the Government have organised themselves oftentimes beyond the capacity of the named "Government". As a result, Sindhis and other minorities suffer from job loss, loss of land, cultural intimidation, and general racism," he pointed out.

Observing that Pakistan was "one of the few countries still ruled by the military", Hussain said, "Global reliance on Pakistan emboldens the dictator and creates hardships for his civil society. In this battle, the basic rights of the citizen including living free of fear and with dignity, access to education and health are, sadly, the first casualty."