Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Sultan Mohammad Khan has said that the provincial government had recently passed Legal Authority Act and Women's Property Act to ensure human rights protection and speedy justice.
He made these comments during an event organised in connection to the International Day of Human Rights by Chief Minister’s assistant Kamran Bangash, members of the provincial assembly, and United Nations Development Programme.
Sultan Muhammad Khan added that the Legal Authority Act and Women’s Property Act were passed to ensure human rights protection and to bring amendments in the laws of civil procedure courts for quick disposal of civil cases and for provision of speedy justice to the public.
The minister said that the government had passed these acts to ensure protection of human rights in general and women's rights in particular.
He added that the Legal Authority Act would provide legal assistance to poor sections of society while the Women’s Property Act would ensure women rights regarding their share in property.
The minister said that the provincial ombudsperson had been empowered to redress the complaints received by the deputy commissioner regarding women’s share in property.
In response to a question about forced abduction, Sultan Mehmood avoided giving an answer and said that security forces had their own code of conduct.
It is important to mention that several human rights activists in KP have been abducted by Federal Investigation Agency, regarding which the government has been silent.
Human rights violations in KP remain a core issue for people, especially in former FATA.
Violations which are rarely reported in KP include abductions, arbitrary arrests, detentions without trial, political executions, assassinations and torture.
According to KP Human Rights Complaint System, between 2013 and 2018, a total of 9,607 human rights violations were reported in the province, out of which 7,546 suspects were booked and 6,427 arrested.