Corruption, discrimination rampant in Pakistan: US report

WASHINGTON: A US report said on Friday that Pakistan had a “culture of impunity” on human rights abuses and stated that security forces were operating outside the control of the civilian government. An annual State Department survey on human rights reported widespread concerns in Pakistan including violence against women, child labour, corruption and discrimination against religious minorities.

The report said Pakistan had not held anyone accountable for a 2009 incident in which men in military uniforms shot dead six young men who were lined up and blindfolded with hands behind their backs.

“A failure to credibly investigate allegations, impose disciplinary or accountability measures and consistently prosecute those responsible for abuses contributed to a culture of impunity,” the report said. 

There were instances of the government shutting down private television channels and blocking certain media outlets from broadcasting. Journalists and their families were arrested, beaten, kidnapped, and intimidated by militants and criminal elements, leading many to practice self-censorship. Pakistan in 2008 ended a decade of military-backed rule, with civilian Asif Ali Zardari becoming the president. But the State Department report was blunt about the persistent power of the armed forces.

“Security forces did not report to civilian authorities and operated independently from the civilian government,” it said. The report took note of government efforts to improve human rights, including a new law against sexual harassment and the allocation of reserved seats in parliament for religious minorities.

But the report said that women spoke of rape in custody, with few perpetrators held to account, and said that women and girls were often subjected to abuse or “honour killings” as part of family disputes. “Women often were treated as the property or goods of their families, and perpetrators were often husbands and other male family members,” it said. The report said that religious minorities — namely Christians and Qadianis — were more likely to suffer abuse in prison and reported cases of torture in custody.