Claim: The HRCP has nominated various individuals, including fashion designer Maria Butt for a Human Rights Award.
Fact: The awards were organised by the Human Rights Council of Pakistan, and not the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). The latter is a reputable and independent organisation that has been working for the promotion of human rights in Pakistan since 1986.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has issued a press release clarifying that it is in no way associated with the Human Rights Council of Pakistan or its X handle @HRCPOfficial.
Human Rights Council of Pakistan claims to be a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that promotes human rights. The organisation’s X handle, @HRCPOfficial created in May 2020, has been promoting its Human Rights Awards 2023 as the first of its kind in Pakistan.. Various individuals such as Maria Butt, who recently drew widespread criticism across the media for making transphobic remarks, have been nominated for the award.
The use of the abbreviation HRCP was misconstrued as some users on X speculated if the awards were given out by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which is a reputable and well-established NGO working to promote human rights in Pakistan since 1986.
Fact or Fiction?
The claim that the “HRCP”, namely the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, has nominated various individuals, including fashion designer Maria Butt for a Human Rights Award is misleading.
The organisation under question is not the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which the abbreviation “HRCP” has been commonly interpreted to mean by users on X.. Similarly, some users may think that the abbreviation HRCP refers to “Human Rights Council of Pakistan” instead of “Human Rights Commission of Pakistan”, which is also misleading.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan is a reputable and independent organisation that has been working for the promotion and protection of human rights in Pakistan since 1986. Its official X handle, @HRCP87 was created in December 2009. Publishing annual reports, conducting fact-finding missions, and holding seminars and workshops, are some of the myriad ways in which the organisation advocates for human rights issues in Pakistan and internationally.
On 8 December 2023, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan issued a press release stating that it is in no way associated with the Human Rights Council of Pakistan or its X handle @HRCPOfficial, requesting the latter to “refrain from using the abbreviation ‘HRCP’, over which the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has moral rights, having used this abbreviation since HRCP’s inception in 1986.”
Furthermore, the statement clarifies that the HRCP is “in no way associated with this organisation’s positions, content, events or activities, including a series of ‘awards’ that it has recently announced.”
Virality
On X, the Human Rights Council of Pakistan’s posts promoting the human rights awards have gained more than 1 million views, and tens of thousands of likes and reposts.. The particular post announcing Maria Butt’s nomination received more than 128,000 views, 390 likes and 290 reposts.
Conclusion: The Human Rights Council of Pakistan’s X handle @HRCPOfficial, misconstrued as the official account of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, has garnered widespread popularity and attention in the media, for nominating controversial individuals such as Maria Butt for its “Human Rights Award”.
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan, its series of Human Rights Awards 2023, and its usage of the abbreviation HRCP is not affiliated with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.The latter is an entirely separate, independent NGO, working for the promotion of human rights in Pakistan, and using the abbreviation HRCP since its inception in 1986.
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