Kerry must tell Pakistan to address rights issues

New York, Jan 13: The US should press Pakistan to address both new and longstanding human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry met Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday during the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad. “A serious rollback in human rights in Pakistan has been under way since the horrific attack last month on a Peshawar school,” said Human Rights Watch. “The US-Pakistan dialogue is a good opportunity for Kerry to press the Pakistan government not to sacrifice basic human rights and fair trials in the name of confronting terrorism.” “Kerry should make it clear to Pakistani leaders that trying civilians before military courts and going on a death penalty spree is contrary to international law and could harm Pakistan’s international reputation,” Human Rights Watch said.