United Nations Sub-Commission on the
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
56th Session (26 July - 13 August 2004)
Agenda Item 4: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Intervention by Shaukat Hussain Baloch Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organisation
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In her excellent preliminary report on the impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights, contained in document E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/23, the Special Rapporteur Ms. Christy Mbonu has correctly observed that the enjoyment by military regimes of all rights is seriously affected by corruption.
As the Special Rapporteur has further observed, dictatorship and lack of democracy, leading to centralization, concentration and personalization of power, have led in some countries to a culture of unbridled corruption.
The Special Rapporteur has listed several leaders who have gravely imperiled the political, economic, social, civil and cultural stability of their countries by promoting, tolerating and indulging in corruption. To this unsavoury list can safely be added the case of successive military dictatorships that have ruled Pakistan, with the present regime of General Pervez Musharraf being no exception.
Mr. Chairman,
In Pakistan the pervasive encroachment of the military into all sectors of civilian life has led to devastating consequences for the well-being of millions of ordinary citizens. Military men have usurped civilian positions and indulged in widespread corruption with impunity. Their activities range from the allotment of prize residential plots to themselves - often by the forcible eviction of poor and marginal farmers from their meager land holdings - at throwaway prices, to bribery, embezzlement and the stripping of civilian corporate assets. Not surprisingly, the weak and emasculated judicial system of the country has only been able to look on as a hapless bystander.
In a sensational episode that made international headlines recently, it emerged that certain prominent members of Pakistan's nuclear establishment, closely linked to the Army and the secret intelligence agencies, had indulged in the unauthorized disposal of nuclear secrets for money. As is well known, General Musharraf then took personal charge of the case, announced illegal pardon for the principal scientist involved, confessed that some privileged Pakistanis had strayed into the international under-world and blandly assured the people that the country's nuclear assets were now in completely dependable hands.
As the prestigious Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has noted in its Annual Report for 2003, the whole nation was "traumatized" by the episode. The Report further noted that many were shocked by the absence of any reference to the huge, undisclosed wealth believed to have been amassed by the wrongdoers and that too in a country where "scores were suffering in the clutches of the accountability process for what appeared in comparison to have been petty pilferage."
Seasoned analysts and observers of the situation in Pakistan were, however, not surprised at all since organizations such as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), set up amidst much fanfare by the Musharraf government, have become thoroughly discredited as more and more evidence emerges to show that they are principally used as a means of political harassment and not for genuinely tackling corruption.
Mr. Chairman,
The key task in countries such as Pakistan is to raise public awareness about the negative effects of corruption and impunity and their devastating effect on the economic and social development of the people. A useful role can be played in this regard by civil society, particularly the media and non-governmental organisations involved in the promotion and protection of human rights. In conclusion, AAPSO commends the work of the Special Rapporteur and urges her to continue her work on this important subject with special reference to countries such as Pakistan. Ms. Christie Mbanu knows more than us that as long as corrupt generals and their friends have political power, even the Friends of the Draft Convention on Corruption cannot help eradicate corruption. How the military and authoritarian regimes can be defended in the 21st century, and that too on the floor of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, is beyond comprehension and would not be acceptable to the honourable and worthy delegates sitting in this house.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Note: This speech was made by Shaukat Baloch, Advocate, President, Punjab Democratic Front, on August 3, 2004, in the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland.
