Public unrest and killings in Pakhtunkhwa last year were cause for concern, HRCP

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said that last year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, public unrest and other incidents including killings were cause for concern.

In the annual report on the situation of human rights in 2023, the Pakistan Commission for Human Rights said that last year’s troubling events began with the premature dissolution of the provincial assembly. After that, due to the absence of provincial elections, citizens were deprived of representation throughout the year and not a single law was passed.

According to the report, the order to suspend local bodies pending the holding of provincial elections was fortunately rejected by the Peshawar High Court, allowing the elected local representatives to continue providing services to their voters. After that, local body elections were held in August for 72 important posts in 21 districts.

Similarly, the law and order situation in the province deteriorated and more than 160 policemen, more than 70 military personnel, more than 60 civilians and more than 170 alleged militants were killed in dozens of targeted attacks and security operations by militants. A misguided attempt to address these security threats, however, was made when some 212,000 Afghan refugees and migrants were forcibly deported from the province following a declaration by the federal caretaker government.

Widespread discontent was evident in the province throughout the year and hundreds of teachers, doctors, health workers and sanitary workers protested against delayed payment of salaries and other dues in separate demonstrations across the province. Border closures restricted the freedom of movement of thousands of people, and the May 9 protests led to the arrest of hundreds of PTI leaders and activists, as well as increased restrictions on freedom of association.

Public health and environmental crises took a heavy toll on civilians, with at least 11 percent of the population addicted to drugs. Rains, floods, and storms caused about 40 deaths in several districts. Despite the court orders, disabled people were also deprived of access to most of the buildings. Additionally, 4.7 million children, including 66 percent girls, were out of school.

A welcome development last year was that Justice Musrat Hilali became the first woman Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court in May and was then appointed to the Supreme Court as the second woman judge in July. The province’s first dedicated mental health institution, the Institute of Mental Health Sciences, was also inaugurated in Peshawar and the provincial cabinet finally approved rules and regulations to protect women from domestic violence. The legislature should take immediate steps to address the concerns of the citizens to ensure their democratic and fundamental rights.