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DW
4 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Leading Pakistan rights group decries government crackdown – DW – 07/26/2025
One of Pakistan's most prominent civil rights organizations has said it faces intimidation and harassment from authorities, warning of a widespread threat to rights advocacy in the country. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent civil rights group, has warned that its operations are being affected due to pressure from Pakistani authorities. "In the past few months, HRCP has faced a series of arbitrary, illegal and unjustified actions that have impeded the organization's ability to carry out its mandate," the commission said in a statement released earlier in July. Harris Khalique, HRCP's secretary-general, told DW that the group has been facing "unprecedented pressure." "Authorities prevent us from organizing events and create disruptions. They have sealed the HRCP's Lahore office, frozen our bank accounts, claiming it is involved in commercial activities, and have blocked our electricity meters while issuing inflated bills," he said. Events organized in various cities were obstructed, and staff received threatening phone calls warning them against discussing topics considered sensitive. "We are against both violence and militancy. Individuals claiming to represent security agencies, along with those identifying as officials from the Interior Ministry, are threatening our female staff," said Khalique. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The HRCP was co-founded in 1987 by late lawyer and activist Asma Jahangir, former Supreme Court Justice Dorab Patel and former Air Force Chief of Staff Zafar Chaudhry. It has since grown into Pakistan's leading human rights organization. The HRCP has consistently acted as an independent and credible advocate for civil liberties, both within Pakistan and on the global stage. Amid pressure from authorities, the HRCP has voiced significant concern regarding the increasingly shrinking space for human rights advocacy in Pakistan. The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated in recent years, with militant attacks occurring regularly. In the southwest, security forces are engaged in a long-standing conflict with Baloch separatist militants. Pakistan's foremost opposition party, Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was not allowed to contest the 2024 election as a party, resulting in violent protests and a crackdown on its members and supporters. Khan remains imprisoned on various charges, which his party has said are politically motivated. The government has denied pressuring the HRCP, and says it is taking measures to ensure security. "The standard operating procedures are in place for events due to security concerns and there are ongoing protests in the country. We have put no restrictions on freedom of expression, " Talal Chaudhry, state minister of interior, told DW. Chaudhry added that "online events are also being conducted without any limitations, and the state is not restricting them." But Hina Jilani, a human rights advocate and member of the HRCP's council, disputes this claim. "The government is employing tactics to silence the group activities. Our events are being obstructed and there are efforts to introduce laws that could impact our finances, hindering our ability to carry out the work," she told DW. Jilani cited two examples of the government placing bureaucratic hurdles that prevented an HRCP community outreach event from taking place in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, and a roundtable discussion in Islamabad focused on the human rights situation in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan province. Jilani said the government crackdown threatens the "HRCP's autonomy and poses a significant risk to the human rights of the people of Pakistan." The human rights situation in Pakistan remains marked by inadequate judicial protection and rising authoritarianism. According to Amnesty International's 2024 report on Pakistan, authorities "weaponized laws" on defamation and hate speech as the security situation deteriorated amid militant attacks. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Amnesty cited dozens of examples of legal measures to suppress opposition parties, particularly targeting Imran Khan's PTI following protests in May 2023. More than 80 people were imprisoned in connection with the protests after "secret trials." Freedom of the press and freedom of assembly have also been severely curtailed. "Enforced disappearances continued unabated, targeting journalists, activists, students, comedians, political opponents and families of political opponents," the Amnesty report said. In 2024, Pakistan's democracy ranking fell six places, placing it among the "top 10 worst performers" in the Democracy Index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Independent media outlets are facing increasing pressure, censorship and economic hardship. Social media platforms are often restricted during protests or political events. "Pakistan has become a completely authoritarian regime, there are no courts, there is no media, they have broken the civil society," Imaan Mazari, a rights activist and lawyer, told DW. "The human rights situation in Pakistan is deplorable and effectively we are living in a martial law," she added. However, HRCP leader Khalique remains optimistic and said the commission will continue its work and "persist in efforts to advocate for the rights of the people of Pakistan." On pressure from the government, Khalique said he hopes for more cooperation in the future. "We are critical friends, not adversaries, and we aspire for a healthy society and a strong country," he said. "We are an independent organization that strives to remain neutral and evidence based. We cannot compromise our integrity." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
The Independent
10-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Crew of ship in North Sea collision ‘not keeping proper lookout', expert says
The crew of a container ship which collided with an oil tanker in the North Sea were not keeping a 'proper lookout' in the lead-up to the incident, a maritime expert has said. The Stena Immaculate suffered a ruptured cargo tank causing 'multiple explosions onboard' when it was struck by the MV Solong on Monday morning. More than 30 casualties have been brought ashore so far. The American tanker was at anchor when it was hit, according to ship tracking tool Vesselfinder. Dr Abdul Khalique, head of the Maritime Centre at Liverpool John Moores University, who has been using simulators to reconstruct the incident, said watchkeepers on the Solong would have spotted the imminent collision if they had been 'maintaining a proper lookout by radar'. 'It can be assumed that the watchkeepers on MV Solong were not performing their duty to 'maintain a proper lookout by all available means' as required by international regulations for preventing collisions at sea,' Dr Khalique said. Preliminary reports suggest poor visibility may also have played a role in the collision, the expert said. 'Although lookout by sight may have been hampered by the poor prevailing visibility at the time of accident, had the watchkeepers been maintaining a proper lookout by radar, they would have spotted this imminent collision threat and taken an action.' Both ships appear to have remained in contact for around four minutes, Dr Khalique added. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed investigators to the scene. Professor David Slater, honorary professor in the School of Engineering at Cardiff University, said ships are supposed to stick to lanes to avoid collisions. 'One thing that needs to be established is, where was the tanker moored in relation to the appropriate shipping lane?' he said. 'It will be important to know whether the cargo ship was on the right course or whether the US tanker was incorrectly moored.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Crew of ship in North Sea collision ‘not keeping proper lookout', expert says
The crew of a container ship which collided with an oil tanker in the North Sea were not keeping a 'proper lookout' in the lead-up to the incident, a maritime expert has said. The Stena Immaculate suffered a ruptured cargo tank causing 'multiple explosions onboard' when it was struck by the MV Solong on Monday morning. More than 30 casualties have been brought ashore so far. The American tanker was at anchor when it was hit, according to ship tracking tool Vesselfinder. Dr Abdul Khalique, head of the Maritime Centre at Liverpool John Moores University, who has been using simulators to reconstruct the incident, said watchkeepers on the Solong would have spotted the imminent collision if they had been 'maintaining a proper lookout by radar'. 'It can be assumed that the watchkeepers on MV Solong were not performing their duty to 'maintain a proper lookout by all available means' as required by international regulations for preventing collisions at sea,' Dr Khalique said. Preliminary reports suggest poor visibility may also have played a role in the collision, the expert said. 'Although lookout by sight may have been hampered by the poor prevailing visibility at the time of accident, had the watchkeepers been maintaining a proper lookout by radar, they would have spotted this imminent collision threat and taken an action.' Both ships appear to have remained in contact for around four minutes, Dr Khalique added. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed investigators to the scene. Professor David Slater, honorary professor in the School of Engineering at Cardiff University, said ships are supposed to stick to lanes to avoid collisions. 'One thing that needs to be established is, where was the tanker moored in relation to the appropriate shipping lane?' he said. 'It will be important to know whether the cargo ship was on the right course or whether the US tanker was incorrectly moored.'
