Ansar Burney born 14 August 1956) is a leading Pakistani human rights and civil rights activist. He is a graduate of Masters and Law from Karachi University and honorary recipient of a PhD. in Philosophy. He is widely accredited as being the first man to introduce the concept of human rights in Pakistan nearly 30 years ago.[1]
Early life
Ansar Burney was a prominent student leader with the People’s Student
Federation in his youth during the 1970s and was known to raise his
voice for justice, human dignity and civil rights. His efforts and
movement landed him in trouble with the military government of the time
and in 1977, Ansar Burney, then aged 20, was arrested on charges of
delivering speeches against martial law and in favour of democracy; and
was sentenced to eight months rigorous imprisonment by the Martial Law
Court.Upon release in 1978, the Martial Law Authorities once again
arrested Ansar Burney and sentenced him to prison for 2 further months
of detention and in 1979, Burney was again arrested for a third time and
detained for a month.
During the periods of his detention in different prisons in Pakistan,
Ansar Burney witnessed firsthand the miserable conditions of prisons
and met countless prisoners whom were imprisoned without crime or
charge; some in detention for over 40 years without ever appearing in
court. It was then upon his release and completion of his law degree that
Ansar Burney set up the ‘Prisoners Aid Society’ and the ‘Bureau of
Missing and Kidnapped Children’ in Karachi (Pakistan in 1980; and eventually formed the Ansar Burney Trust International with offices in Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Mirpur, Quetta, Washington D.C. and London. The Ansar Burney Trust is a non-governmental, non-political and
non-profitable organisation which initially worked for the welfare of
prisoners, reforms in prisons and mental asylums and to trace missing
and kidnapped children; however then widened its scope to cover all
areas of human rights and worked against human trafficking.
Positions held
Chairman: Ansar Burney Trust International
Established in 1980, initially as the ‘Prisoners Aid Society’ and the
‘Bureau of Missing and Kidnapped Children’ by Ansar Burney, Advocate in
the Pakistani port city of Karachi; the Ansar Burney Trust
International (as it is known now) was the first Pakistani organization
to fight for the concept of human rights in Pakistan. With a mission to work as a non-political, non-governmental and
non-profitable organization, it started its fight against all forms of
injustices, cruel inhuman and degrading treatment, child abuse, cruelty
to women and other more subtle forms of human and civil rights
violations without any discrimination or affiliation.
The Ansar Burney Trust headed by Mr. Ansar Burney is a network of
human rights organisations and volunteers working for the deliverance of
justice, better treatment of human beings and for the rights and
freedoms of civil liberties. It works to raise awareness, provide free
legal advice and services and humanitarian assistance where needed. Since its inception in 1980, it has been involved in bringing reforms
in Police Stations, Prisons and Mental Institutions; and worked for the
aid, advice, release, rehabilitation and welfare of the illegally and
unlawfully detained prisoners and mental patients.
It also works for the rehabilitation and welfare of the families of
these unfortunate human beings purely on humanitarian grounds in the
greater interest of justice and humanity without any affiliation or
consideration for any political party, group or activities. Since its inception in 1980, the Ansar Burney Trust has shown a
marked and steady progress in achieving the vowed objectives and has
started a number of centers for various projects in Pakistan and abroad. The Trust also publishes newsletters and human rights reports with
the purpose of spreading awareness of issues and to try and get more and
more people involved.
Federal Minister for Human Rights (Pakistan)
On 16 November 2007, Ansar Burney was sworn in as Pakistan's caretaker Federal Minister for Human Rights. He was the first man to head the newly established Human Rights ministry
of Pakistan and was placed in charge of establishing the ministry,
creation of a national commission on human rights and oversight of
general elections in Pakistan. During his term as a Federal Minister, Ansar Burney visited 25
prisons and mental asylums throughout Pakistan, resulting in the release
of several hundred innocent persons including children as young as 7.
He also strived for further prison reforms and reforms to government
controlled orphanages and shelter homes for women.
Expert advisor to the United Nations Human Rights Council
On 27 March 2008, Ansar Burney was elected for a term of three years as a member of the United Nations
Human Rights Council Advisory Committee and due to "his recognized
experience in the field of human rights and acknowledged competence and
impartiality, Burney received wide support from all regional groups of
the Council".[2]
Humanitarian activities
Prison reforms and prisoner rights
As Chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust International, Ansar Burney has
been working for the cause of justice for over three decades and in
this time has been successful in securing the release of around 700,000
confined persons from various sites around the world. As such, he is
perhaps best known for his work for the release of illegally or
wrongfully confined persons. These have included persons locked up for over 45 years on false
charges or those confined in mental institutions to rot their entire
lives away even though they are perfectly sane.
Having been locked away in prison himself, Ansar Burney witnessed the
miserable conditions in which prisoners were living and set about
immediately to help them. He began by visiting the many prisons and
mental institutions in Pakistan to find persons confined on false
charges, locked away without charge or persons who had been framed. He
also began to raise his voice for reforms in Prisons and Mental
Institutions; and as a result, he has made great progress over the last
three decades.
Through surprise inspections and representatives in prisons and
mental institutions, Ansar Burney Trust monitors that no prisoner or
patient is abused. They have successfully lobbied for better living
conditions and food, separate prisons for men and women, education and
training for prisoners, put a stop of tying of mental patients and
children in chains and have successfully managed to remove place of
birth as prison for children born in prisons. Entertainment and a better atmosphere are created at various sites
around the country when Ansar Burney Trust arranges parties and
entertainment for prisoners and patients. Due to their lobbying and
donations, better medical equipment and staff are now working in prisons
and institutions - offering better medical service to prisoners and
especially patients. Mental patients locked in prison due of lack of
space in hospitals are sent back for better care. Women prisoners and
patients who would before have given birth in confinement with only each
other to help are now under the supervision of women nurses - after
Ansar Burney presented this matter to the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Staff of the Ansar Burney Trust visited and met female prisoners and
patients to investigate charges of sexual abuse – leading to a reduction
of rapes in prisons. They successfully lobbied to ban female prisoners
being dealt with by male staff. Non Muslim prisoners unable to perform their religious duties are now
provided what they need in order to perform their religious
commitments. In the month of Ramadan, non-Muslim prisoners are now
arranged food for by Ansar Burney Trust so they were not forced to fast. The Ansar Burney Trust has appointed 84 people in various jails and
mental asylums to take care of mental patients and prisoners.
One of their achievements over the years has been the collection of
data they have gathered on Pakistani prisoners confined in different
Jails around the world due to various misunderstandings. The Trust
provides legal advice and services to many such persons and arranges for
their repatriation when released. Similarly the Trust has also been able to get release of a number of
foreign nationals from Pakistani Jails and sent them to their respective
home countries on Trust's expenses.[3]
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