National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) known as
NCJP was formed in 1985 by the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’
Conference. NCJP have provided its services in the field of
advocacy of human rights beyond religious and other discrimination.
It has six regional offices (Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad,
Multan, Hyderabad and Quetta) and the head office at Lahore,
which provide legal aid and human rights education. Under the
legal aid program, the commission provides legal counseling,
financial assistance etc. to 50-60 high profile cases and about
50 where a prolonged litigation is not involved. So far NCJP
has dealt with about 800 cases during past 22 years.
NCJP’s Human Rights Education and Activists Training
Program began in 1997 and concentrate on imparting know how
of the human rights concepts, fact-finding and reporting skills
in two workshops during one year, allowing enough time for the
trainees to practice what they learn. The trainees become part
of the organization’s volunteer groups.
The activists report human rights violations in their respective
areas to the Commission’s regional or national office,
which select cases for legal aid, appeals to the relevant authorities
and reporting in the studies on the human rights situation.
At present the commission has 63 activists based in various
cities and regions in Pakistan. They belong to Muslim, Christian
and Hindu communities.
The first advocacy campaign was launched by NCJP against bonded
labour in brick kiln factories in 1987. With other organizations
joining in, this campaign achieved some success. A law on abolition
of bonded labour was passed in 1992. The Commission now concentrates
on bonded labour in agricultural sector.
NCJP sees its role as advocacy organization, therefore reacts
to the discriminatory laws and state policies. In 1988, the
Commission filed an appeal in the Supreme Court of Pakistan
against apartheid system of Separate Electorate in the country.
Since 1990 Commission has defended cases of blasphemy against
Muslims, Christians and Hindus, and has campaigned for abolition
of blasphemy laws.
In 1992 when the government tried to include a column for religion,
the civil society in Pakistan waged a countrywide campaign under
the leadership of NCJP’s Chairperson Bishop John Joseph.
The campaign was successful and the government was forced to
withdraw the cabinet decision. In the year 2000-2001 NCJP led
a countrywide campaign for abolition of separate electorates.
The demand was accepted in January 2002 and the government restored
joint electorate system. Presently the Commission is working
on democratic education and tolerance in media as well.
Since 1998 NCJP is carrying out an extension project of ACPP/Hotline
Asia for Urgent Appeals. The Commission is active part of Justice
and Peace networks in Asia and maintains links with European
Justice and Peace Commissions as well.
The campaigns launched by NCJP involved more common methods
like letter writing and mobilization through collecting signatures,
media lobbing, hunger strikes, seminars etc.
The Commission started using the UN mechanisms of human rights
in 1999. It made written and oral interventions through Pax
Romana, Franciscan International and Dominicans at the Commission
and Sub-Commission and Working Group on Minorities. NCJP is
among the two organizations from Pakistan, which made use of
Procedure 1503 for defence of Human Rights in the past two decades.
Recently, in June the Commission organized a Training workshop
on “Protection and Promotion of Human Rights”. The
objective is to expose human rights NGOs, using rights approach
to the UN mechanisms for promotion and protection of human rights.
In 2001 NCJP was given an International Human Rights award by
The Tji-Hak-Soon Foundation of South Korea for its services
in promotion and defence of human rights.
