Asma Jahangir Conference organisers reject govt’s criticism on Nawaz Sharif’s speech

Islamabad (HRNW) The Third Asma Jahangir Conference last weekend generated a lot of debate and pointing fingers from the ruling PTI government. The conference was put together as a result of months of voluntary work by the Conference Committee setting out a wide agenda on critical areas of human rights currently under challenge in Pakistan. The Asma Jahangir Conference was co-organized by the Asma Jahangir Foundation along with the Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. There were 21 sessions in total addressing the following areas: The Right to Dissent, The Afghan Crisis and its Impact, Conflict in Kashmir: bypassing Kashmiris, No Justice in Justifying: Violence Against Women, Rights of the Child, Freedom of Religion and Belief., State of the Economy, and Challenges to Restoring Democracy in Pakistan.

Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, leader of the opposition party PML-N, addressed the closing speech of the conference keeping in tradition with events organized by bar councils where leaders of opposition parties are invited to speak. Mr. Bilawal Bhutto, Chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party, along with Ms. Shirin Mazari, Minister for Human Rights, delivered the closing speeches of the First Asma Jahangir Conference in 2018, and former Prime Minister of the Pakistan People’s Party, Mr. Yousaf Raza Gilani, delivered the closing speech of the Second Asma Jahangir Conference in 2019. All three conferences provided a platform for stakeholders, including politicians from all major and regional parties, to speak openly about issues impacting the rule of law and protection of fundamental freedoms. The AJ Foundation vehemently rejects claims that the conference furthered any partisan agenda and notes that no such allegations were made at earlier conferences when Mr Bilawal Bhutto and Mr Yousaf Raza Gillani delivered the closing address. The AJ Foundation also wishes to bring on record that several prominent members of the ruling PTI party were invited to all three conferences, many of whom spoke at all three conferences, and others who declined the invitation. The AJ Foundation along with its partners, the Supreme Court Bar Association, and the Pakistan Bar Council, believe that leaders of opposition parties, big and small, should be invited to speak, and freedom of expression, even where it involves true but uncomfortable conversations, is the cornerstone of democracy.

The AJ Foundation reiterates that no one was invited to speak at the conference in violation of any law. Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA) has banned certain categories of individuals from being broadcasted on television, no such prohibition is placed on these individuals addressing public gatherings in general. Indeed, former Prime Minister, Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, has addressed gatherings previously and it is entirely regrettable not to say embarrassing, that internet cables were disabled to black out his speech. This act in itself is an indication of the state of freedom of expression in the current regime where Pakistan is ranked as 145 out of 180 countries. It is also worth mentioning that the current regime has allowed airing of interviews of Mr Ishaq Dar and former General Musharraf even though both have been declared absconders by courts in Pakistan. In contrast, it is the view of large segments of the legal community that Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s conviction was politically motivated, he was not provided legal due process and more recent events have sadly caused a further shakeup in the institutions of Pakistan. By picking on conferences and personalities, the ruling regime is diverting attention from the real threat to institutions, the state of the economy and freedom of expression in the country.