Pak bill makes Army, ISI answerable for abuses

The National Assembly in Pakistan has passed a landmark bill for the formation of a National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), empowered to investigate cases of human rights infringement, create awareness, and make agencies such as the ISI and the army answerable to the body in the context of alleged human rights violations.

The National Assembly in Pakistan has passed a landmark bill for the formation of a National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), empowered to investigate cases of human rights infringement, create awareness, and make agencies such as the ISI and the army answerable to the body in the context of alleged human rights violations.

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Adviser to the Prime Minister on human rights, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, moved the bill as passed by the senate with some amendments before it was later passed by the House with a majority vote. The commission will come into action once the President signs the bill into law.

The commission will be chaired by a Supreme Court judge and will comprise one member from each of the four provinces-the Islamabad Capital Territory, Fata and Gilgit-Baltistan, and one from minority communities, reported The News.

The commission will also be empowered to inquire into, take suo motu action on a petition, intervene in any proceeding involving allegations of human rights violation and visit any jail.