5 Lesser Known Civil Rights You Need To Know About Right Now!

Martin Luther King was one of those revolutionary leaders who made people aware of their basic civil rights. All the great leaders of the world always fought against suppression and struggled throughout their lives for the protection of societal rights. Discovering such enthusiastic, ardent, and devoted leaders in Pakistan is, indeed, a herculean task.

The Dilemma

The dilemma of our society is that majority of our educated class is also unfamiliar with their basic civil rights. Lack of democratic culture and incessant military coups never allowed our nation to even think about their civil rights. This harmed our society wholly and even after 70 years of independence, we are just a ‘developing nation’. Under such circumstances, it has become our moral duty to discuss and illustrate those less conversed civil rights about which majority of our nation is oblivious. So, here are five civil rights which our constitution has granted, yet we are unfamiliar with them. 1)  Inviolability of dignity of man According to the constitution of Pakistan:

“No person shall be tortured for the purpose of extracting evidence”

The law enforcement agencies of Pakistan, however, tend to treat people quite brutally. According to the constitution of Pakistan, law enforcement agencies are disallowed to treat suspect brutally without having judicial remand orders. But in Pakistan’s case, the role of our law enforcement agencies is quite disappointing. Dozens of suspect torture and murder cases make daily headlines in our newspapers and T.V Channels. Furthermore, Pakistan’s police killed almost 2000 suspects in the year 2015, as per human rights reports. 2) Slavery: The dilemma of our society Constitution of Pakistan is very much clear about slavery being illegal in Pakistan. It  states the following:

“Slavery is non-existent and forbidden and no law shall permit or facilitate its introduction in Pakistan”

Slavery is in no way non-existent as Pakistan secured the third position in Global Human Slavery ranking. It is the culture in Pakistan to hire young aged girls or boys, who are basically permanent slaves by all definitions. The upper class commonly say when hiring help: “ Kam walay larkay/ larki ki umer kam honi chahiey” . What’s worse is the treatment of these young children. People cut off their salaries, cancel their holidays, and even keep them away from family for extended periods of time. Mostly, the children work in place of their parents, which means they aren’t paid for their labor directly. If this isn’t slavery, one wonders what is. 3) Child labor : Constitution of Pakistan states that:

“No child below fourteen shall be engaged in any factory or mine or any hazardous employment”

One of the most crucial issues in Pakistan is child labor. It is lawfully and constitutionally forbidden and can lead to serious legal actions against all those who hire children as labor. Lawfully, even begging and working at auto workshops comes under the category of hazardous employment for children below fourteen. It is the responsibility of every citizen of Pakistan to reprimand all those who engage children in such jobs. The Govt. of Punjab has also proposed a bill in parliament to fine all those people who engage children in such jobs. The proprietor of the establishment may also be imprisoned for up to five years. 4) Safeguards as to arrest and detention: According to the constitution of Pakistan:                         

“No person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed and shall  be produced  in-front of magistrate within twenty-four hours”

Contrary to this, hundreds of citizens, such as dozens of Baloch activists, forcibly disappeared. This is constitutionally and lawfully prohibited. Obligated are all state institutions to follow and respect the law and constitution of Pakistan to fulfill their social contract with the state. As a respectful citizen, each and every individual whether the head of any state institution or even the prime minister of Pakistan, must follow the constitution. Nobody should be able to bypass the law. 5) Religious Freedom: civil rights Let’s have a look at this crucial issue under the light of Islamic Republic’s constitution:

    “Every Citizen shall have a right to profess, practice and propagate his religion”

Nowadays, it has become extremely difficult for minorities to pursue their religion publically. Those who try to fight for minority rights are either termed infidels or apostates. The religious fanatics, fundamentalists, and lunatic officers of law enforcement agencies are seemingly unaware of these rights. The ordinary Pakistani will question the violation of his rights, which such zealots don’t want to happen at all. We hope that the readers will spread these words and explain all these hidden civil rights to the common man of our society, who are suffering due to lack of awareness.                      

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