Introduction to DHR
DHR (Defence of Human Rights and Public Service Trust) is one of the few human rights activist organizations founded by the victims of the violation of human rights. The organization is registered under Trust Act 1882 of Pakistan. It was founded by Mrs Amina Masood Janjua after the abduction of her husband Mr Masood janjua on 30th July 2005.
After facing a wall from all directions, regarding Masood’s whereabouts Amina decided to go for public demonstrations out side Parliament House inIslamabad. The public demonstrations started by one family were soon joined by hundreds of other aggrieved families. With in a few months caravans started coming from all parts ofPakistanto join the peaceful struggle. Amina wrote applications to the Supreme Court for all of them; hence as a result of public, media and legal pressure many illegal detainees were released.
Shortly the struggle for disappeared in shape of rallies, protests, awareness building through seminars and campaigns, and filing cases of the Enforced Disappeared in the Supreme Court was making headlines in the press and electronic media. Up till 2011 the movement for the release of disappeared loved-ones is funded entirely by Amina’s personal finances and fueled by the grief and passion of the devastated victim families of the disappeared.
The working of DHR mainly depends on dedicated volunteer supporters from civil society, students community, legal fraternity and DHR’s net-work of aggrieved families. Not only that this movement gave hope and courage to the relatives of the disappeared but also achieved results, around 400 illegal detainees traced in the last 5 years. Through sheer hard work it won support of the masses and enjoys speck less reputation internationally.
Presently DHR is representing 357 cases of enforced disappearance in Supreme court of Pakistan and 1015 cases in commission of inquiry of enforced disappearance created by government of Pakistan.
Even today people are being enforced disappeared at an alarming rate. DHR is commited to not only fight for the release of already missing to but to also stop this grave human rights violation in Pakistan.
