ISLAMABAD: Pakistan officially noted a recommendation made during third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) proposing to revoke laws barring consensual non-marital sex.
The UPR recommendations given by Canada and Czech Republic, also suggested decriminalising such acts rather assuring punishment against those who invoked violence against the participants practicing pre-marital consensual sex.
Pakistani officials stated that they had noted the recommendations and will either accept or reject them at a later time, after thorough deliberation. Ministry of Human Rights confirmed that the recommendations were officially noted after Pakistan had adopted the third cycle of UPR in March having reviewed it in November 2017.
In 2008, Pakistan had received 51 recommendations shedding light on various issues. Pakistan rejected the suggestions pertaining to decriminalisation of slander and non-marital sexual relations, halting the abuse of blasphemy laws, legal actions against honour killings and abolition of death sentence.
The second UPR brought about 167 suggestions out of which Pakistan accepted 126 and rejected 7, noting the remaining 34. The propositions recommended in the third UPR were similar to the second one, and it is worth mentioning here that the same recommendations which have been noted by the recent government were rejected outright by the previous government.
A human rights activist, talking to a local newspaper, said that it was quite a surprise that such a change was even being reviewed and the influence or force behind it should be probed. He added that the ground realities were very different than what was being portrayed in the United Nations by Pakistani officials.
UN General Assembly introduced UPR in 2006, involving a process of periodic reviews of human rights records in all member states. The UPR aims to improve human rights situations all over the world.
Ministry of Human Rights officials said that they hadn’t received the suggestions officially by Foreign Office as yet.
Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Tahir Ashrafi claimed that the recommendations were in contradiction to the constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and those trying to adopt such changes would defame the country for their own interests. He said that the suggestions for adopting recommendations for decriminalising consensual sex and non-marital sex would be considered treason.
Similarly, Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said that for the government even to review such recommendations was not acceptable and appalling. He added that the CII would request the government to probe into the matter and deal with those trying to defame our country.
Published in Daily Times, April 10th 2018.
