Peshawar, The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has launched a fact-finding report titled “The Merger and its Discontents,” highlighting concerns about rights violations and development mismanagement in the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the fact-finding mission, led by former HRCP chairperson Hina Jilani, raised several critical issues in the region. These include the mismanagement of development resources for NMDs, the resurgence of militancy, delayed repatriation of internally displaced persons (IDPs), curbs on fundamental freedoms, enforced disappearances, and the use of internment centres.
The mission team, comprising regional vice-chair Akbar Khan, HRCP members Ijaz Khan and Jamila Gilani, and staff members Shahid Mehmood and Marrium Rauf, visited Swat, Bannu, Khyber, Peshawar, and an IDP camp in Baka Khel. The report documents the team’s findings, which underline the residents’ discontent with the slow implementation of the merger plan. The residents allege that the merger’s promises of equality, equal protection under the law, and equitable development remain unfulfilled.
A significant concern noted in the report is the continued presence of armed forces in the region, which hinders the establishment of law and order under police jurisdiction and a return to normalcy. The report also highlights ongoing issues of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions in internment centres. Such practices, coupled with threats to journalists and activists, are said to undermine civil liberties, fostering fear and distrust among communities.
The HRCP report stresses that military forces should cede space to the police where possible, empowering them with adequate resources to address the increase in militancy. It also urges the Supreme Court to urgently fix for hearing the appeal against the Peshawar High Court order that declared the Actions in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance 2019 case null and void. This action is needed to clarify the legality of internment centres and cases of enforced disappearances.
While acknowledging certain positive steps taken for NMDs, such as the establishment of district courts, local government elections, representation in the provincial assembly, and police capacity-building, the report points out the limited access to courts and essential social services for residents. The HRCP recommends increasing access to utilities and social services for IDP camp residents, releasing all funds dedicated to development work in NMDs, and conducting thorough investigations into allegations of corruption and misuse in this regard.