Pakistan: The high court of Islamabad accuses the Pakistani government of “sabotaging” rights watchdog
GHRTV2
The prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and his government have been accused of trying to “sabotage” the country’s independent human rights watchdog, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), to prevent accountability for mounting abuses and cooperation.
On Monday, Islamabad’s high court called for the filling of the vacant post of the head of the NCHR, after accusing the government of deliberately obstructing the appointments of the new commission members for nearly two years, leaving the organization unable to carry out its duties.
This period of almost two years within which the NCHR has not properly functioned has coincided with a decline in press freedom and human rights in Pakistan, as well as accusations of a rise in enforced disappearances.
The first chairman of the NCHR, Ali Nawaz Chowhan, attributed such delay on the appointments to the disclosure of several reports, including a detailed report on the existence of torture in Pakistan, which angered Khan’s government.
