& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Concern over threat to Asma Jahangir

Staff Correspondent
Different national and international organisations have expressed grave concern over the threat to eminent Pakistani lawyer and human rights defender Asma Jahangir.
On Monday, Asma Jahangir told the Pakistani media that she had received credible information about a plan by state actors to assassinate her.
The incident has been widely criticized. Demands have been made that the Pakistani government take necessary steps to protect her.
In a press statement, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) urged Pakistan to ensure her safety. It asked the CHRI secretarygeneral to press the Pakistani government for a thorough investigation to find out who were behind the plan and punish them.
Asma has been an international figure for her integrity and long-term commitment to human rights, said CHRI, adding her strong actions against human rights violations by Pakistan's security agencies were what led to the threat.
The issue should be taken seriously, it added.
The Commonwealth should take the threat to Asma as a wakeup call to implement its mandate to ensure that its member states comply with its fundamental values, including human rights, the press statement says.
"The threat faced by Jahangir is symptomatic of the long-standing human rights and democracy deficit in Pakistan," it says. The recent series of events should move the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, die Commonwealth's watchdog body, to monitor the evolving situation in Pakistan and, in particular, to support actions to ensure Jahangir's safety.
South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) said Asma Jahangir had always been a fierce defender of human rights and a strong critic of those who violate them. "Her continuing criticism of the military and state security apparatus, particularly with regard to their actions in Baluchistan, have made her a foe to these actors," SAHR said in a statement.
Sammilita Samajik Andolon, in a statement, held the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI responsible for the threat. It urged the Pakistan government to enhance security to protect her.
Justice Sachar and noted journalist Kuldip Nayar expressed their solidarity with her and stressed that her contributions to human rights were significant.
In a joint statement, they urged Pakistan and the international community to ensure that Jahangir was given proper protection and allowed to continue her work free of intimidation and harassment.
They called upon the UN Human Rights Council to address the issue at its upcomingsession.
They also urged both the UN Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial killings and human rights defenders to urgently look into the matter.