Human rights declared as cornerstone of Pakistan's domestic policy.

ISLAMABAD -- The Ministry of Human Rights on Saturday declared protection and promotion of human rights as a cornerstone of Pakistan's domestic policy.

An official of the Ministry informed reporter that Pakistan has ratified several key international human rights instruments, which have been transposed into the domestic regime through a wide variety of Federal and Provincial laws.

He said that these included a range of obligations contained in seven of the nine core human rights treaties of which Pakistan was a signatory party. These include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Convention on the...