The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday rejected what it called the “baseless” statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressing concerns about the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
In a statement issued in Geneva on Friday, the human rights chief said the latest constitutional amendment, like the 26th amendment last year, had been adopted without broad consultation and debate with the legal community and wider civil society. He added that the “hastily adopted” amendments undermined judicial independence and raised concerns about military accountability.
A press release issued by the FO said that Pakistan rejected the “baseless” statement.
“Pakistan notes with deep concern the ungrounded and misplaced apprehensions aired on behalf of the UN high commissioner for human rights regarding the 27th Constitutional Amendment adopted by the two-third majority of the parliament of Pakistan,” the press release by the FO said.
“Like all parliamentary democracies, all legislation as well as any amendment to the Constitution remain the exclusive domain of the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan,” it added.
The FO said that democracy and democratic methods “form the bedrock of civil and political rights, and therefore must be respected”.
“The constitutional amendments adopted by the parliament of Pakistan followed due procedures as enshrined in Pakistan’s Constitution,” it said.
It added that Pakistan remained “fully committed to protecting, promoting and upholding human rights, human dignity, basic freedoms and the rule of law” as enshrined in the Constitution.
“While Pakistan gives due importance to the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, it is regrettable that Pakistan’s views and ground realities were not reflected in the statement issued,” the FO said.
“We urge the high commissioner to respect the sovereign decisions of Pakistan’s parliament and avoid commentary that reflects political bias and misinformation.”
The recent 27th Amendment was pushed through Parliament at top speed earlier this month amid widespread outcry. Among the top concerns are its overhaul of the judicial system via the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court, and changes to Article 243 positioning the army chief as the new Chief of Defence Forces at the top of Pakistan’s armed services.
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