Pakistan denies space to independent voices
The disappearance of a bunch of bloggers and civil rights activists from the public space over the last fortnight in Pakistan, is a reminder to the international community about the failed state of the country. This calls for immediate action on the part of the Government, which must ensure the safe return of all activists to their respective families. The massive campaign, led by top media houses, to free the activists, shows how the right to freedom of speech is under severe threat in the country. However, these incidents have pointed fingers at the involvement of the Pakistani state and its nefarious designs against social media activism. Besides, this has added a dark new chapter in the state's murky and illegal war against civil society activism. It is not simply enough when the Government is saying that it’s investigating the incidents of disappearance of the missing activists. But then, how long will the Government take to bring them backIJ Will the Government be able to provide security to the rest of the civil right activists who are constantly voicing their concern about the deteriorating law and order situation in the countryIJ Will it respond to the international human rights organisations that are widely condemning the threat to media activism in PakistanIJ Till now, there has been no response from the Pakistani Government about the whereabouts of the abducted journalists. Further, what worries the families of the victims is that no group has so far taken responsibility for carrying out this shameless act. With the growing presence of the networks of both global and local jihadi organisations in Pakistan, which rightly function with direct support of the Government, the latter can no longer guarantee the survival of free speech. The design and foundation of the Pakistani state reflect that it does not favour open criticism of the Government actions, particularly on human-rights related issues. It can be inferred that the Government will not be able to firmly respond to the uproar created by the global forums of human rights.
What is common in all the instances of disappearances is that they all indicate a growing sense of uncertainty. No one knows what will happen to all the missing activists. But it appears that they have been picked up by the state agencies. In fact, testimonies given by the victims' families hint that Government agencies have been directly involved. Their forced disappearance highlights that the state is trying to bypass the Constitution, which safeguards the legal and constitutional rights of all citizens. It is made clear to all those who fiercely raise their voices against the rise of extremism, flawed Government policies, suppression of minority rights and finally, the military's over-reach on matters outside its jurisdiction, that they will be shown the door. The Pakistani state has moved one more step to threaten, intimidate and silence the voice of the citizens. What more the international community can expect from a state which has been consistently ranked very low in maintaining press freedom — 147th rank in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index and recorded as ‘Not Free', in the rankings given by Freedom House, on Freedom of the Press 2016. Therefore, impunity remains the norm for crimes against dissenters in Pakistan.