Challenges for Pakistani Democracy: Resisting Religious Extremism

12 Mar 03
Resisting Religious Extremism: Challenges for Pakistani Democracy
with Mr. Afrasiab Khattak, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Date: March 12, 2003
Where: 1 Nicholas St., Suite 202 (2nd floor), Ottawa
Time: 1 – 2:15 pm

http://www.sapcanada.org

Biography
Afrasiab Khattak is the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), one of the country’s leading non-governmental organizations. He is also one of the founders of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Friendship Association.
In this role, Khattak has been one of the most outspoken advocates for the protection of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, challenging government policies and practices aimed at deporting existing refugees and curbing further inflows. HRCP has also been a standard-bearer in calling for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan since the military coup in October 1999.

Khattak’s work as an activist extends back to previous elected and military
governments. Arrested for his opposition to the martial law regime of
General Zia ul-Haq, he was convicted by a military court in 1979 and
sentenced to a year of labour in prison. Following his release, he spent
nearly a decade in exile, returning in 1989 after Zia’s death. In the
current crisis in Afghanistan, Khattak has publicly articulated the need for
Afghan civil society actors to play a prominent role in the country’s
reconstruction.

For more information and RSVP please contact:

Neena Sachdeva, Program Manager Pakistan, SAP Canada

Phone: (613) 241-1333 ext 227, Fax (613) 241-1129

Email: nsachdeva@sapcanada.org