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146 where extremist militants held sway but the situation certainly did not improve
Freedom of association
in 2012.
Banned organisations
While the problems for the organisations acting within the law were many,
several outlawed groups and organisations could apparently work without
much hassle. As in previous years, several organisations that had been banned
by government on account of their links to militancy and terrorism were able
to operate, at times under changed names. In January, the banned Sipah-e-
Sahaba Pakistan held a procession in Islamabad, prompting the interior minister
to seek an explanation from the local police chief and suspension of the chief
of the relevant police station.
In February, activists of a Bahawalpur-based banned jihadi outfit delivered
a lecture on the campus of University of Peshawar. Posters regarding the
lecture had been put up on campus a day before but the university administration
failed to take action. The lecture was stated to be part of the outfit’s membership
drive and 30 people reportedly filled out membership forms at the campus.
In 2012, the federal Interior Ministry added the name of Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal
Jamaat (ASWJ), formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, to its list of
banned organizations for suspected involvement in terrorist activities and
sectarian violence. With that ban, the number of banned organizations in Pakistan
in the past 11 years rose to 45. The ASWJ chief vowed to challenge the ban.
Despite the ban, the ASWJ chief and, and Hafiz Saeed, chief of another banned
organisation Jamaatud Dawa, joined a protest and sit-in organised by Difa-e-
Pakistan Council in the federal capital.
Recommendations
1. It is high time for the state to ensure that the freedom of association
written in international and national instruments becomes a right in the real
world, with prompt and effective remedy in the event of denial of this right.
2. The right to freedom of association cannot be exercised in a vacuum.
The overall environment in this regard is in dire need of improvement. A
multi-pronged approach, which focuses on making the right easily enforceable
as well as awareness raising about the importance of this crucial human right,
should go hand in hand with steps to prevent non-state actors from hampering
realization of this right.
3. Pakistan should accept the request by the UN Special Rapporteur on
the freedom of association to visit Pakistan without further delay and should
facilitate him in every way during his visit.
4.· The risk for the women and men on account of their association with
NGO is unacceptable and must be dealt with on priority. The official reaction
to violence or threats or incitement to violence against NGO workers must no
longer remain mere silence.