KARACHI:A meeting of the independent human rights commissions and civil society here on Monday demanded of the government to come up with a clear policy on Afghan immigrants including their status and make sure that all Afghanis must be repatriated respectfully and their stay in Pakistan should be governed under the UN regulations.
Co-chaired by Justice (Retd.) Majida Razvi, Chairperson of SHRC and Ms. Anis Haroon, Member of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), the meeting was also attended by Ms. Nuzhat Shirin, Chairperson Sindh Status of Women Commission (SCSW), Ms. Mehnaz Rehman, Coordinator of JAC and human rights activists Prof. Asghar Dashti, Adam Malik, Shahid Jatoi, Naghma Iqtidar, Wahid Baloch, Sarah Zaman, Anita Panjani, Jugdesh Ahuja Shireen Ajaz and others.
The participants expressed serious concern over the government’s ignorance to register, monitor and take action against illegal immigrants in the country. They pointed out that Karachi is already overwhelmed with population influx, particularly people from other provinces or even from other countries so the city’s socio-economic and civic infrastructure could not withstand this unchecked tendency, hence, steps should be taken to stop any further population influx in Sindh.
Ethnic realities of Sindh should be acknowledged and a proper dialogue should be initiated to find a just and lasting solution for peaceful coexistence, they said adding that political parties should stop risking the ethnic balance of the province, particularly in Karachi at the cost of their electoral compromises.
Laws and regulations, governing demography should be revisited and reformed per existing realities, they said adding that the Sindh government was spending huge funds on rangers, however, the paramilitary force had failed to play an effective role in averting the riots, which disturbed the city life and in many parts of the province for many days recently. Sindh police should be strengthened and trained on how to deal with such situations, they demanded.
There should be a distinction between people from other provinces who come as workers and those who are purchasing properties reportedly for strategic reasons, the speakers pointed out. They called upon the government to create a permanent platform where such problems can be immediately addressed.
Population census particularly in Karachi had remained a controversial issue. Since the government is planning to hold a census in Karachi, it should be done credibly and then a policy should be initiated to provide basic rights to the citizens. The PPP government in Sindh bears dual responsibility as a ruling party of Sindh as well as a major political party in the country. “We condemn the violence of all sorts and ask the government to take strict action against those disturbing peace,” the participants said.
They condemn the murder of Bilal Kaka and demanded those responsible must be tried under the anti-terrorism law. Several illegal immigrants have acquired CNIC in Karachi and there have been reports of the involvement of NADRA staff in issuing cards to foreigners. A thorough investigation is required and government must ensure all such CNICs are cancelled.
Meeting Socioeconomic considerations and arbitrarily allocating resources is one of the reasons for conflicts. The government must ensure just the reallocation of resources. All miscreants must be arrested and prosecuted. Women often fall victim to conflicts so the government should take special measures to ensure the safety of women. The local government should be strengthened and this should through be just and fair elections of the local bodies. The meeting hailed the role of nationalist parties from both sides and also condemned the arrests of Sindhi nationalists who were protesting against illegal Afghan immigrants in Sindh.
