Senate body rejects Rangers? explanation for staying absent
 

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Human Rights Committee Wednesday rejected the explanation of Rangers for **t appearing before it two times that they could **t do so ‘due to prevailing law and order situation of the metropolitan city’.

The forum asked the Rangers to appear before it as the committee was informed that a privilege motion had already been moved against the law-enforcing agency for misleading the Parliament by quoting the report of a **n-existing fictional international human rights body.

The human rights committee met here under the chairpersonship of MQM Senator Nasreen Jalil. Senators Mohsin Leghari, Nisar Muhammad Khan, Mufti Abdul Sattar, Sitara Ayaz and Farhatullah Babar also attended the meeting.

The decisions of the committee pertained to killing and dumping of bodies in Balochistan, DNA testing of dumped bodies, adoption of draft legislation to rein in the state agencies and authenticity of the so-called South Asia Human Rights Commission whose report the Rangers had relied upon.

It also decided to hold an exclusive meeting in Karachi on the human rights violations in the provincial metropolis. The debate was triggered when the committee was informed that during the last two years 52 bodies were found dumped in ‘A’ areas of Balochistan but ** investigations had been made as ** one had come forward to lodge a report with the police.

“The fact that more than 50 people were killed and their mutilated bodies dumped in the province during the last two years together with the stark admission that ** one lodged report with the police was stinging indictment of the state institutions, a vote of ** confidence in the state machinery and system of justice which must ring alarm bells in the corridors of powers,” said Farhatullah Babar, warning against the consequences of the state apathy towards the plight of the people of Balochistan.

He cautioned the report about dumping of mutilated bodies was highly alarming as the figures pertained only to ‘A’ areas where police is deployed.

“God alone k**ws how many bodies of unfortunate victims were found dumped in the ‘B’ areas of Balochistan,” he said and called for a complete report on the ‘kill and dump’ in all areas of the province year wise at the next meeting of the committee.

Babar asked if the figures of those killed in the province up to June 2016 also included Mulla Akhtar Mansour, who was taken out in a drone strike in May. He **ted that first the Balochistan police representative stated that Mulla Mansour was killed in ‘B’ area but later stated that since the day’s agenda was confined only to those ‘killed by bullets’, Mulla Mansour was **t included because he was **t killed by a bullet but by drone.

To a question whether DNA tests of the dumped bodies were carried out, the committee was informed that since ** complainant came forward, there could be ** DNA matching also and ** DNA tests had been carried out.

When asked whether it was **t mandatory to carry out DNA tests regardless of whether matching was done or **t, the committee was informed that state-of-the-art DNA test facilities were **t available in the province. However, the DIG police admitted that DNA tests can be carried out in Punjab and Karachi but had **t been carried out.

Babar said that there could be only two explanations for the failure of the police; either it had been stopped by elements more powerful than the SC, the law and the Parliament or it was sheer incompetence. “I do **t believe that the police anywhere can be so incompetent.”

On the advice of Chairman National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Justice Ali Nawaz Chohan, the committee decided to call for copies of the FIRs lodged by the state in the case of those whose bodies were found dumped. It also called for a report on whether there was a nexus between the persons reported missing and the dumped bodies in the province.

The forum **ted that the queries addressed by the NCHR to the state agencies had **t been replied and called upon all the state agencies to give replies to the queries as it was mandatory under the law regulating the NCHR. It asked the NCHR to keep the committee informed about the progress in this regard.

Babar’s proposal to amend the NCHR law to ensure its financial auto**my was also endorsed by the committee. It decided that in case the ministry failed to address the issue of financial auto**my of the commission, the committee would move a bill to amend the law.

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