HR Committees formed in KP at district level

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has constituted the District Committees on Human Rights to monitor human rights situation in all the districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The deputy commissioner would serve as the committee’s chairman, superintendent of police (SP) as investigation member, superintendent of prisons, member, district officer M/F Education Department, member, district officer Health Department, member, two representatives from civil society to be nominated by the chairman, and district social welfare officer, member/secretary. The terms of reference of the committee include monitoring the overall human rights situation in the district, investigating cases of rights violation in a district, visiting jails for monitoring the rights of inmates, visiting hospitals for assessing provision of health facilities to citizens, visiting places of detention (police stations) on receipt of complaints of torture, visiting schools, colleges and universities for raising awareness on human rights, and visiting orphanage-homes/shelter homes to identify and recommend cases. The TORs also include mobilizing local community and encouraging their participation for protection of human rights, submitting periodic reports, information and documents related to rights situation of a district to the respective Provincial Task Force and National Task Force as established under the action plan of Human Rights. It was notified by Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Human Rights Department, government of KP.