Dr Khadim Hussain Dahot threatened & physically assaulted
On 31 August 2019, human rights defender, Dr Khadim Hussain Dahot was attacked by unidentified men outside his home in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The mob attacked the defender accusing him of inciting sectarian violence and committing blasphemy.
Dr. Khadim Hussain Dahot is a noted lawyer and human rights advocate in Pakistan. He is the founder and managing director of Sewa Development Trust Sindh, a not-for-profit NGO that works to empower and provide education and healthcare to underprivileged women, youth, and children. The Trust carries out these activities through live-streaming technology and the provision of learning facilities in remote areas of the Sindh province of Pakistan. Dr Dahot works for the rights of marginalised communities to foster peace and social harmony and counter violent extremism among vulnerable populations.
On 31 August 2019, human rights defender, Dr Khadim Hussain Dahot was attacked by unidentified men outside his home in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The mob attacked the defender accusing him of inciting sectarian violence and committing blasphemy.
Dr. Khadim Hussain Dahot is a noted lawyer and human rights advocate in Pakistan. He is the founder and managing director of Sewa Development Trust Sindh, a not-for-profit NGO that works to empower and provide education and healthcare to underprivileged women, youth, and children. The Trust carries out these activities through live-streaming technology and the provision of learning facilities in remote areas of the Sindh province of Pakistan. Dr Dahot works for the rights of marginalised communities to foster peace and social harmony and counter violent extremism among vulnerable populations.
On 31 August 2019, at 11:00pm, Dr Khadim Hussain Dahot was attacked outside his house by a mob insinuating that he had committed blasphemy. The assailants were chanting slogans and hurling abuses, and physically attacked the defender, his father and other members of the family who were present at his house at the time. The mob only dispersed after the intervention of local police constables and neighbours who had rushed to the scene after hearing the commotion. The assailants were heard yelling out death threats as they left the premises. Following the incident, the human rights defender registered a First Information Report (FIR) with the local police and also notified several other authorities. Dr Khadim Hussain Dahot has not received any protection nor have the police taken any action towards bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Dr Khadim Hussain Dahot, believes that the assailants did not act by themselves, and were backed by influential people who have strong religious and political affiliations. There has been a pattern of ongoing harassment against Dr Dahot particularly since he released statistics on child sexual abuse and the situation of child rights in Pakistan at a press conference in 2008. During the fifteen years of his work in the defence of human rights, Dr Dahot has had his passport stolen four times. Every time he has approached the relevant authorities, the complaints have not been formally registered, severely restricting his freedom of movement. In addition to this, there have also been threats directed towards his organisation, Sewa Development Trust Sindh, for its work with marginalised communities.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned about the lack of action from the side of the authorities and strongly condemns the attack and repeated intimidation and harassment of Dr Khadim Hussain Dahot, as it believes that they are directly motivated by his peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights.
