Three women arrested under FCR and lactating child seperated

Three women of Khyber Agency-FATA have been arrested by Political Administration who are still in its custody

Police in Peshawar arrested three tribeswomen in Peshawar who belong to Khyber Agency-FATA and handed them over to Political Administration of Khyber Agency-FATA who latter on further handed them over to some one influencial person from Khyber Agency on Superdari like vehicles by Pakistan courts. Women in questions belong to Malik Din Khel Tribe of Afridi of Bara Sub Division-Khyber Agency whose male members are alleged to have committed some unlawful act. The male members were absconder for few days and Peshawar Police instead arrested women and handed them over to Political Administration of Khyber Agency. Latter on male members are said to have been arrested but still women are in custody of Political Administration. One of the women is pregnant while other is lactating mother who feeds her newly born child. Ironically mother and child have been separated forcefully. The child is home while woman is in custody of Political Administration.

Asif Ali Zardari then Pakistan President had amended FCR of 1901 in 2011 which states that children below 16 and women will not be arrested under FCR of 1901. Political Administration in FATA does not abide by amendments and still women and children are arrested and put behind bar which is violation of women and children rights in FATA. Pakistan does not send its FATA human rights violation report in Universal Periodic Review to United Nations.

Tribal NGOs Consortium, Child Rights Movement FATA and National Action and Coordinating Group against Violence against Children (NACG)-FATA strongly condemn this heinous crime against women and children and demand of government to punish responsible officials and officers who committed this crime against women and children.

Regards

Zar Ali khan Afridi

Chairman

Tribal NGOs Consortium

Coordinator

Child Rights Movement-FATA

Coordinator

National Action and Coordinating Group against violence against children-FATA

Contact  :03015963336

TNC will hold a session on FCR with students

Tribal NGOs Consortium, Society for Rights and Development - SRD,, MEN UNiTE and Sap-pk Peshawar are holding a session with FATA Students on FCR titled FCR and Fundamental Human Rights enshrined in Constitution of Pakistan 1973 in Peshawar on 25th April, 2015. time.10.30 AM. Engr Tor Gul Chamkani and Qamar Naseem will be resource persons who will talk at length about the subject and will inform the participants regarding issues confronting people of FATA due to FCR. Qamar Naseem is also expected to talk about Universal Declaration of Human Rights and challenges to Human Rights in FATA.

Child in landi kotal Khyber Agency FATA should be released immediately

Maaz khan Shinwari a student of class 10 has been put behind bar for last 1 month by Assistant Political Agent, Landi Kotal Khyber Agency-FATA. He is a student of Shinwar Public School Landi Kotal and has been languishing in lock up of Assistant Political Agent. He is only 16 and has been arrested under collective responsibility clause which has now been amended in 2011 by then President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. According to new amendment no child between 5 and 16 will be arrested under said clause. But ironically political Administration of Khyber Agency is quite ignorant of it and have no knowledge of new amendments and Convention on the Rights of Child(CRC) of which Pakistan is a signatory and has ratified it on 12th of November 1990. Pakistan is first Muslim and 6th country in the world to sign this convention and ratified it. When i contacted Meraj Shinwari elder brother of Maaz shinwari in Landi Kotal he said that he and his family have been experiencing life as hell for them. Their brother has been arrested for no crime he has committed. He is just a 10 grade student and he could not sit take his annual metric examination due to his unlawful detention. Now his precious one year was lost. He is an intelligent student and could have obtained excellent position in annual examination if was not detained by Assistant Political Agent, he narrated his sorrowful tale to me. Tribal NGOs Consortium and Child Rights Movement FATA strongly condemn this non serious attitude of political administration towards children and slated them for their ignorance regarding CRC and FCR amendments.
Regards
Zar Ali Khan Afridi

Attack on brother of Sardar Mushtaq Gill is condemnable

Press Release

04-04-2015

Zar Ali Khan Afridi, a known Human Rights Defender and Chairman tribal NGOs Consortium strongly condemned firing on the brother of Sardar Mushtaq Gill a famous Human Rights Defender on the basis of his human rights activities, in Lahore, capital of the Punjab in Pakistan. In Pakistan religious minorities and human rights defenders are facing the wrath of 295-C. Many innocent people are languishing behind bars in various jails of the country on allegations of being blasphemers. Last year a reputed lawyer and Human Rights Defender Mr. Rashid Rehman of Multan was shot dead by terrorists whose fault was that he was fighting a case of a lecturer in one of Multan Universities where he was alleged to have committed blasphemy in his face book account by his rival fellow lecturers and teachers of the university. Salman Taseer then governor of the Punjab was also assassinated by his own police guard on the basis he defended an innocent Christian lady who was alleged to have committed blasphemy. Similarly in Qasur, Punjab a couple was set on fire in a brick kiln. Pakistan is an unsafe country for religious minorities and human rights defenders. Terrorists and their apologists have two types of weapons to use against an HRD and religious minorities. Gun, suicide bomber and 295-C are the weapons usually are used against Human Rights Defenders and religious minorities. State is so indifferent to issues of citizens’ protection that it never bothers to protect them. No one can say anything to supporters and apologists of the terrorists. Even parliamentarians have no courage to pray for their colleague and a governor is unable to find any lawyer to defend him. On other side a killer is surrounded by hundred of thousand of lawyers and he is offered with legal service. What a state we are living in?

I, once again demand of government of Punjab to provide security to Mushtaq Gill and his family and arrest culprits.

Regards

Zar Ali khan Afridi

Human Rights Defenders

Chairman

Tribal NGOs Consortium

FATA-Pakistan

tncfata@gmail.com    

Local people are asked questions entering Peshawar cantt.

On each and every check point entering Peshawar cantt one will see a security personnel asking questions from residents of Peshawar, Pakhtunkwa and FATA as to who are they and where they have come from and for what? One wonders as to what reply be given to a person who even does not know language of people whom he poses questions. Such questions are asked particularly from people with white collars. God knows why? Are they afraid from white collared people and such are strangers for them. When one enters deans trade center in Peshawar he/she faces cloth frisking fatigue by ignorant and unskilled and untrained guards. Interestingly they leave people sporting beards and apparently having links with so called proscribed terrorist organizations but as for as clean shaven white collared people are concerned they are frisked every time while entering Deans Plaza though one will be there for last 6-7 years. Military security personnel also ask questions from ladies. At least culture sensitivity needs to be recognized and understood. If they are smart enough then lady soldiers or helpers should be kept standing on all check points. many of friends who are regularly shuttling between Peshawar and FATA have such grievances and complaints against attitude of security forces. 

Samiullah afridi Advocate death condoled and termed as a great loss for Human Rights Defenders in FATA

 Zar Ali Khan Afridi Chairman Tribal NGOs Consortium strongly condemns the brutal killing of Samiullah Afridi Advocate and termed it as a great loss for the tribal areas called FATA. He was a noble soul and extended all out his possible support to people of FATA who were in need for legal and law related issues. He did his best to work for abolishing of FCR 1901 from FATA and to get his   voiceless people emancipate from the cruel clutches of an out dated, savage, cruel and inhuman system there. He was a man par excellence to defend human rights in FATA and his martyrdom showed it that he sacrificed his own precious life for the sake of his deprived people and an area which is known as human rights free zone. He laid down his life for a noble cause and that,s the reason that he will be remembered by his people  for a long time to come. God bless him. 

A man of 65 years of age is going to marry a child of 12 in Khyber Agency

Through some reliable sources from Landi Kotal Khyber Agency i have come to know that a man who is 65 years of age in Kogakhel, Ashrafkhel shinwari is going to tie a knot with a small girl whose age is said to be 12. The man in question is ailing for last several years and has gone under three heart surgeries. This is very inhuman for a man to marry a girl child of 12. Concerned authorities are demanded to intervene into matter and save the girl child from prangs of this cannibal. Tribal NGOs Consortium is strongly opposed to  early child and enforced marriages in FATA.

Regards
Zar Ali Khan Afridi