Lahore: June 5, 2012. (PCP) Centre for Human Rights Education (CHRE), and its members have expressed deep concerns over the increased threats to the lives of human rights defenders in Pakistan. In a statement issued by CHRE’s Director Mr. Samson Salamat said that “Pakistan is and has been a difficult place where the human rights defenders face severe threatening situation which includes threat calls, monitoring of their whereabouts, tapping of phone, registering of fabricated cases, forced disappearances, slander, stigmatization, and ultimately killings”. “The situation is gone worst and the threat to the life of Pakistan’s leading Human Rights Defender Asma Jahangir, killings of HRCP activists Siddique Eido (Passni), Naeem Sabir Baloch (Khuzdar), Zartif Afridi (Khyber Agency), and the killings of Pakistan FisherFolk Forum members Imam Din (Mianwali) Abu Baker and Abdul Ghani (Karachi) are clear indicators of the vulnerability of the human rights defenders. Punjab’s Governor Salman Taseer and Minister Shahbaz Bhatti were also assassinated because they spoke for the rights of the marginalized communities” the statement further added. Furthermore, the increase in the forced disappearances in Baluchistan, the open announcement by Maulvi Abdul Haleem on 4th May, 2012 in Kohistan warning that women working in the NGOs will not be allowed to enter Kohistan and that violators would be forcibly married off to locals, attack on the rally against forced religious conversion at Hyderabad by a religious fundamental group, and propaganda against the National Students Federation (NSF) in Chiniot by a banned outfit are dangerous trends and enhance the risks to the lives of those working for human rights. The statement further said that the threat mostly comes from state’s security agencies, religious extremists and other powerful entities involved in the human rights abuses and therefore the real dilemma is that the state machinery which is responsible for the safety and security of its citizens is involved in the persecution of those defending others’ rights while providing space to non-state groups propagating against human rights community and therefore the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association have been stubbed out, voices of dissent are muted and human rights defenders are facing perpetual threats to their life and liberty. Therefore, Centre for Human Rights Education called upon the government to realize its duty of the safety and security of the human rights defenders and demand that -the state must respect The Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN in 1998 which recognizes the importance and legitimacy of the work of human rights defenders, as well as the need for better protection and constitutes a clear commitment on the part of all UN member states to respect the rights of human rights defenders. - ensure that the state’s security apparatus operates within their jurisdiction and they are not involved in any unlawful act (s). - ensure that the non-state actors involved in the violence and other human rights abuses do not get any support or facilitation from the state machinery and there should be an end to the culture of impunity. Furthermore, the groups which are circulating hate and malicious material against human rights community including against veteran human rights defender Asma Jahangir should be apprehended. - ensure an environment which is conducive for the human rights defenders to work without any fear. - Fair investigation should be held to ensure that the killers of human rights defenders get punished according to the law.