By IANS,
New Delhi : Concerned over Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir’s revelations that her country’s security establishment was planning to get her killed, Indian human rights groups Wednesday appealed to the Pakistani government for a probe and to provide her security.
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) in a statement said: “We are gravely concerned about threats to the human rights defender Asma Jahangir. We call upon the government of Pakistan to ensure the safety of Jahangir.”
“We also urge the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to take immediate notice of threats to Jahangir and press upon the Pakistani government to afford her every protection, urgently and thoroughly investigate such threats in a transparent manner, and punish those guilty of involvement in any plans,” the statement added.
Asma Jehangir said on Monday that the country’s powerful security establishment was planning to get her killed, using one of the many jihadi outfits operating in the country.
Justice (Retd.) Rajinder Sachar, currently involved with human rights advocacy, declared: “We believe that Jahangir’s case is an indication of the larger patterns of human rights violations in Pakistan and call upon the UN Human Rights Council to address this in its upcoming session.”
He also urged both the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, and human rights defenders to urgently look into the threats to Jahangir.
Senior journalist Kuldip Nayyar also called upon the government of Pakistan to ensure the matter was thoroughly investigated in a transparent manner.
“All those who are guilty of being involved in plans to unlawfully attack or liquidate Jahangir must be punished at the earliest, irrespective of their rank, position or affiliation to state agencies and institutions,” Nayyar said.