LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Thursday expressed grave concern over the decision to exclude two sitting PPP lawmakers from the list of accused in the murder case of Nazim Jokhio on grounds of lack of evidence.

In a statement, HRCP observed that this development follows closely on the heels of the pressure and isolation that Shireen Jokhio has cited as her reasons for ‘forgiving’ those accused of brutally torturing and murdering her husband last November. This seems an unlikely coincidence.

HRCP believed that Ms Jokhio’s decision was certainly not voluntary and should not be considered legally acceptable. In the present political situation, this should be a test case for the Sindh government to show that it will put human rights and justice before short-term political interests, said HRCP.

HRCP, which has been monitoring the Jokhio case closely, considered Nazim Jokhio as a human rights defender (HRD) and insisted that there should be no impunity for harm to any HRD in any circumstances.