Gilgit Baltistan: Human rights organisations criticise Pakistan on Falak Noor case

Gilgit Baltistan [Pok], April 2 : Media personnel, representatives of Strategic Advocacy Human Rights (SAHR), and people from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) held press in the Gilgit City of Gilgit Baltistan (GB) for the recovery of 12-year-old Falak Noor, who was allegedly abducted in January 2024, Pamir Times a prominent of news organisation from Gilgit Baltistan reported.
The human rights activists who participated in the conference seconded the demand being raised by the people of GB, for a safe return and a thorough investigation of the case of Falak Noor, a minor girl belonging to Sultanabad who had been kidnapped in January.
The alleged abduction case has received much attention over the last week, causing outrage and protests and has raised the stakes for the judicial system. The case has reportedly been with the Gilgit Police for over two months, yet not much progress has been made toward recovering the minor. The two primary nominees are said to be on pre-arrest bail.
Munizae Jahangir a known journalist from Pakistan and a member of HRCP during the press conference stated that "In the case of Falak Noor certain steps must be taken by the government."
"Firstly, we demand that Noor be presented before the court without any harm. Here, the government of GB and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must fulfill their roles so that the investigation of this case gets completed. Secondly, we demand that the security personnel who have supported the culprits and have been named in the complaint by Noor's father be immediately suspended, and a thorough investigation must be launched to figure out their wrongdoings in this case," she added
While referring to the issues that generally arise in these matters, Jahangir stated, "The government of GB must declare, what are the rules it follows whenever such concerns arise? If not, the GB administration must form rules for the protection of women in such cases of violence and kidnapping against women, as these cases have been on the rise recently.
Furthermore, "we also demand that GB align the legal age of marriage to the UN Charter, of which Pakistan is also a part. Duality in such laws cannot be tolerated in any such matters, as the legal age of marriage in Sindh is 18 and the same in other provinces is 16".
In an official statement on X, Jahangir said, "We held a detailed consultation with civil society in #Gilgit & expressed alarm over cases of violence against women, lack of women shelters & other facilities to curb these crimes and above all, the cruel denial of electricity & internet to the people by the state.#InternetKholo"
https://twitter.com/MunizaeJahangir/status/1774036126975881533
Referring to the Anara Murder Case, another case of violence against women in GB, the journalist demanded that a forensic report be submitted to the court soon."
She also added that "shamefully, GB still does not have any forensic labs that can conduct such a level of forensic investigation. Hence, a fully capable lab must be constructed here".
Baba Jan, another prominent social activist belonging to GB, stated in his statement during the press conference that "the administration now has resorted to the only option of victim blaming. They are trying to pressure the victim's family and turn the investigation in the wrong direction by making baseless and senseless accusations. Instead of making baseless accusations, the administration should fulfill its job of returning the minor girl to her parents safely."
Just like Jahangir, Jan also stated that " Pakistan who is a signatory to the UN Charter, acts with duplicity in such cases. Either, it must revoke its participation in the United Nations Charter or act as per the conditions mentioned in the UN Charter.
"We have been protesting at various locations in Pakistan raising the same issue. However, they are still ignorant of the matter and are employing the tactics that they had used in Bangladesh. As they continue harassing and suppressing the people of GB instead of listening to them there is no hope of justice left for these people," Jan added.