(New York) - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell should address violence against women and the military government's proposed changes to the constitution during his visit to Pakistan, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to him released today.
Secretary Powell will travel to Pakistan this week as part of a larger trip to Asia, during which he will meet with senior officials to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues.
"This is an enormous opportunity for Secretary Powell to push for accountability for women's rights abuses and adherence to democratic principles," said LaShawn R. Jefferson, executive director of the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch.
In a July 18, 2002 letter to Secretary Powell, Human Rights Watch said that the Pakistani government's response to continuing violence and discrimination against women has been inadequate and that the government should repeal discriminatory provisions of the 1979 Hudood Ordinances that impede and discourage women from seeking justice. The Hudood Ordinances, which criminalize adultery and fornication, are frequently used to prosecute victims of rape.
Although Pakistani law enforcement agents arrested some of the perpetrators in a recent, widely reported gang rape case, and an investigation is underway, Human Rights Watch said that police misconduct in the case and the excessive authority of tribal councils in Pakistan need to be addressed. The case involved the rape by four men of Mukhtaran Bibi, a Pakistani woman, during a tribal council meeting in southern Punjab on June 22, 2002. The rape, which occurred in the presence of a large number of villagers, was intended as "punishment" for the conduct of her brother, who had been seen with an unchaperoned woman from another tribe.
Secretary Powell should also advise Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf against amending the Pakistani constitution unilaterally, Human Rights Watch said.
Musharraf's recently proposed amendments to the constitution would significantly strengthen the power of the presidency, formalize the army's role in governance, and diminish the authority of elected representatives. The amendments would circumscribe freedom of association and the right of individuals to stand for elected office, limiting the opportunity for moderate voices representing the majority of Pakistani citizens to exercise political leadership.
