Human Rights WatchWorld Report ContentsDownloadPrintOrderHRW Homepage

World map Pakistan








Introduction





Asia

Europe and Central Asia

Middle East and North Africa

Special Issues and Campaigns

United States

Arms

Children’s Rights

Women’s Human Rights

Appendix




The Role of the International Community

In a bid to build international support, General Musharraf and other senior officials of the military government attempted to bolster diplomatic ties overseas. But the international community remained steadfast in its demands for a return to democratic governance and peaceful resolution of the conflict in Kashmir.

United Nations

In a December 1999 report, the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances stated that it continued to receive reports that Pakistani authorities failed to adequately investigate and prosecute "disappearance" cases. In March, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on violence against women submitted a written report on her September 1999 visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Among her findings were a rise in violence against Afghan women, including domestic violence, honor killings, and trafficking of Afghan refugee women in Pakistan. She also found that individuals working on the plight of Afghans, including members of Afghan nongovernmental organizations, the majority of which had moved to Pakistan, continued to receive death threats, were subject to harassment, and often lacked protection from local authorities. The rapporteur also noted local NGO concern over what they termed the "Talibanization" of Pakistan, and its impact on Pakistani women.

United States

During a brief stopover in Islamabad at the end of his South Asia tour in March, U.S.

President Bill Clinton urged the military government to restore democracy, seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Kashmir, and pressure the Taliban in Afghanistan to both improve their treatment of women and cease sponsoring terrorist groups. Clinton took pains not to legitimize the military government by making a state visit.

In its second annual report on international religious freedom released in September, the U.S. Department of State noted that there was a "slight improvement" in the Pakistani government's treatment of religious minorities between July 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000. It cited General Musharraf's abandoning of his predecessor's proposal to impose Shari'a law through a constitutional amendment as a positive move, but asserted more generally that discriminatory legislation continued to fuel religious intolerance. Later that month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom held public hearings on religious persecution in India and Pakistan. At this writing, members of the commission were preparing for a visit to Pakistan in November following the government's invitation.

European Union

Almost a year after its forceful condemnation of the coup in Pakistan, the E.U. initiated political contact with the military government in an effort to formalize a timetable for national elections. Following the April verdict in the trial of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the E.U. also voiced concerns over the oath of loyalty to the PCO required of judges, retroactive application of amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the broader question of judicial independence, stating that the E.U. would closely follow Sharif's appeal.

The Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon visited Pakistan in August to convey the Commonwealth's concerns regarding the restoration of constitutional and democratic rule. Pakistan was suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth following the military coup. The visit was followed by a warning by Commonwealth foreign ministers-who met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar during the U.N. Millennium Summit in September-that Pakistan would face full suspension from the Commonwealth if it did not provide a firm timetable for a return to democracy.

Japan

As part of a South Asia tour in August, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori used Japan's leverage as a top donor to call for a resumption of talks on Kashmir and condemned violent attacks on civilians. Mori urged Musharraf to restore civilian rule by 2002, and indicated that while most Japanese grants and loans would remain suspended following Pakistan's nuclear tests in May 1998, some funds might be released for development work in response to Pakistan's pledge to continue its freeze on nuclear tests. The Japanese government maintained, however, that Pakistan's refusal to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was the main obstacle in the resumption of Japanese aid. Earlier in the year, Japan also provided small grants to NGOs carrying out Afghan refugee assistance in camps in Pakistan and inside Afghanistan.

International Financial Institutions

At this writing, the World Bank had yet to schedule the donor conference on Pakistan that had been put on hold since the coup. Proposed loans that were in the pipeline, but not yet approved, amounted to more than U.S. $800 million. In late September, the IMF and Pakistan were reported to have reached a preliminary agreement on a $3.5 billion loan program, to be spread out over three years. IMF cash credits during the first year would be limited to $700 million from the fund's Poverty Relief and Growth Facility (PRGF).

Relevant Human Rights Watch

Reports:

Prison Bound, The Denial of Juvenile Justice in Pakistan, 10/99

Reform or Repression?: Post-Coup Abuses in Pakistan, 10/00

Human Rights Watch World Report 2000

Current Events

The Latest News - Archive

Countries


Burma

Cambodia

China and Tibet

East Timor

India

Indonesia

Malaysia

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Thailand

Vietnam


Campaigns



BACK TO TOP

Copyright © 2001
Human RIghts Watch