A recent alternate report presented to the UN Committee against Torture by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has shed light on deficiencies in Pakistan’s legal framework, as per local media. The report, submitted before Pakistan’s review of compliance with the Convention against Torture, reveals instances of custodial abuse and shortcomings in enforcing the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022.
The NCHR report underscores persistent issues despite Pakistan’s ratification of the Convention against Torture in 2010. Concerns raised by the UN seven years later regarding inadequate legal safeguards and accountability for torture remain unaddressed. The report points out discrepancies in the statutory definition of torture, absence of references to psychological suffering, unclear penalties, and insufficient provisions for victim rehabilitation and compensation, according to The News International.
Despite existing legal safeguards, allegations of torture by law enforcement agencies persist in Pakistan. Some believe that due to resource constraints and a sluggish judicial system, authorities resort to questionable methods to enforce the law. However, such practices have not resolved the country’s law and order challenges, as highlighted by The News International.
In a separate incident, a woman from Muzaffargarh city in Punjab, Pakistan, has urged the Chief Justice to investigate the alleged police ‘encounter’ that resulted in the death of her two sons. This case reflects a broader trend where police encounters, once sporadic, have become more systematic, as reported by Dawn. The editorial expressed concerns over the increasing number of deaths in police encounters across Punjab, indicating a troubling trend of extrajudicial methods being tacitly endorsed as an official crime control strategy.
