Review of draft legislation to establish Pakistan NHRI

Following its visit to Pakistan in December to participate in discussions on draft legislation to establish a national human rights institution, the APF has prepared a summary of the key issues included in the bill.

The review of the National Commission on Human Rights Bill also includes a detailed outline of the proposed legislation and potential amendments for consideration.

In developing these recommendations, the APF has referred to the international standards set out in the Paris Principles and the emerging General Observations of the International Coordinating Committee’s Sub Committee on Accreditation

The APF’s Review of the National Commission on Human Rights Bill is available to download from the website.

The National Commission on Human Rights Bill was introduced into Pakistan’s national parliament on 17 December 2008.

At the request of Pakistan’s ‘Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights’, representatives from the APF and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) travelled to Islamabad to participate in consultations prior to parliament debating the proposed legislation.

The delegation held three half-day consultations with civil society organisations; the Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights; and with members of the relevant Parliamentary Committees from both houses of parliament.

A broad range of issues were discussed during the consultations, in particular the requirements for:

• a clear and transparent selection process for Commission members
• the capacity for the Commission’s membership to represent all social groups in Pakistan
• the capacity for the new institution to operate independently, and
• the need for the new institution to have financial security and autonomy.

The delegation included Dato’ S. K. Choo (representing the current APF Chair), Mr Rory Mungoven (OHCHR) and Mr Greg Heesom (APF Secretariat).