This was said by the former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in a message to a human rights conference held in Islamabad on International Day of Human Rights.

In her message, she said, "Human Rights are best guaranteed by democratic institutions with a judicious system of checks and balances. A sovereign Parliament, independent judiciary, free media and across the board accountability are the democratic pillars on which rests the edifice of human rights. Regrettably, in Pakistan the state institutions guaranteeing democratic institutions including the protection of human rights were systematically weakened. The Parliament is without sovereignty. The dream of an independent judiciary continues to elude us with half the Supreme Court judges removed and the remaining half forced to take oath of allegiance to the military ruler superseding the Constitutional oath. The challenge for our youth and the coming generations is to respect human dignity in words and deeds. This is best done by checks through an independent and fearless judiciary and by human rights organisations. "

Reiterating PPP commitment to human rights and for creating a just society in Pakistan, she said, "The Pakistan Peoples Party has called for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The purpose is to acknowledge the victims of state sponsored perversion of justice. The attempt to trample the popular leadership of the country and politically re-engineer Pakistan's landscape was done through trumped up charges aimed at destroying reputations and lives. Scores of people were traumatised by midnight raids, imprisonment, torture, denial of medical treatment and persistent attempts to coerce them into perjury. This barbaric treatment was clothed in the noble garment of accountability and transparency. Yes, accountability is necessary not only for corruption but for those who perjure the course of justify to satisfy their political agendas. "

Paying rich tributes to the individuals who have suffered during the struggle for democracy and human rights, the former Prime Minister said, "As this conference convenes, I think of all those who lost their lives because of their political opinions. I think of Dhani Bux Shaheed, Abdullah Murad Shaheed and Munawar Suhrawady Shaheed, three of our brightest and bravest sons stolen in the prime of their life. I think of the political prisoners behind bars, of former Speaker of the National Assembly Yousaf Reza Gillani, Mr. Salahuddin Dogar, Pir Mukkaram, Bismillah Kakar and former Federal Minister Javed Hashmi. I think of the exiles, of the businessmen, the bureaucrats, the bankers and most of all the political leaders who cannot return to their own lands because of the denial of justice. "

Regarding the perversion of justice faced by political activists for their principles, she said, "It makes a mockery of the judicial system when political victims are asked to face courts that cannot function freely because the sword of removal hangs over their heads and special courts and laws supplant the law of the land. It is clear that Pakistan can overcome its social, political and economic problems and end the miseries of the people when true democracy is restored through the holding of fair, free and impartial elections open to all parties and personalities under the Pakistan Human Rights Commission with electoral modalities that permit a fair poll and an accurate count that is immediately announced. "

Congratulating the organisers of the conference, she said, "I compliment the International Human Rights Observer (IHRO) for organising this conference coinciding with the 56th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights where nations pledged to root out political suppression and promote political freedoms. That pledge will one day be redeemed by the sufferings and sacrifices of countless unknown heroes and heroines who bore persecution and told the tale of humanresilience. I wish this Conference success for its success could be the success of Pakistan, its people and all of South Asia. "

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