The Pakistani state, whether central or provincial, has always viewed any difference of opinion as dissent. Every day we see examples of such behavior.
Just recently civil society activists who participated in the Sindh Rawadari March in Karachi were physically assaulted by Karachi police. In a statement, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called upon the Sindh government “to immediately investigate the violent treatment meted out to civil society activists.” HRCP also pointed out that it was unnecessary to impose S. 144 in Karachi as “Sindh Rawadari March was intended as a peaceful demonstration calling for justice for Dr Shahnawaz Kunbher, who was accused of blasphemy and subsequently shot dead by a police officer. The march had brought together progressive voices from across Sindh and should have received the full support of any government claiming to hold progressive, democratic credentials. Instead, an FIR has now been lodged against several protestors, including those who were subjected to violence by the police. This must be withdrawn immediately.”
Further, as HRCP noted, “while a counter-protest by the far-right TLP may have rightly stoked fears of a clash, given the TLP’s violent history and its extremist position on blasphemy, this was not a license to assault Sindh Rawadari March protestors. Instead, the Karachi police should have been prepared to protect peaceful marchers had the TLP resorted to violence against the latter.”
Finally, HRCP lamented that while the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Constitution “it has been consistently violated by the state in the last several years. S. 144 continues to be applied arbitrarily, especially against peaceful rights-based assemblies. The federal and provincial governments must understand that they are the custodians of this right and as such, legally obligated to protect and promote freedom of peaceful assembly.”
