Ansar Burney

Ansar Burney (انصار برنی; born 14 August 1956) is a Pakistani human and civil rights activist and former Federal Minister for human rights in Pakistan’s cabinet from 2007 to 2008.

He graduated with Masters in Law from Karachi University.

Burney was born on 16 August 1956 in Karachi, Pakistan.

He is the son of Syed Mukhtar Ahmed Burney.

He graduated with a Masters of Law degree from Karachi University.

Burney was a prominent student leader with the People's Student Federation in his youth, during the 1970s, and was known to speak out for justice, human dignity, and civil rights.

His efforts in the movement landed him in trouble with the military government of the time, and in 1977, at age 20, he was arrested on charges of delivering pro-democracy speeches against martial law and was sentenced to eight months rigorous imprisonment by the Martial Law Court.

On his release in 1978, the Martial Law Authorities once again arrested him and sentenced him to prison for a further two months.

In 1979, Burney was arrested for a third time and detained for a month.

During his detention in different Pakistani prisons, Burney witnessed, firsthand, the deplorable conditions and met numerous prisoners who had been imprisoned having committed no crime nor having been charged.

Some had been in detention for over 40 years without ever appearing in court.

He is widely credited as being one of the first people to introduce the concept of human rights in Pakistan since 1980.

On his release, and the completion of his law degree in 1980, Burney set up the Prisoners Aid Society, Commission Against Terrorism and the Bureau of Missing and Kidnapped Children in Karachi (Pakistan).

He eventually formed 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 nonprofit organisation which initially worked for the release of illegality and unlawfully detained prisoners, welfare of prisoners, reforms in prisons and mental asylums, to raise voice against Corruption and to trace missing and kidnapped children.

However, it later widened its scope to cover all areas of human & civil rights and worked against human trafficking worldwide.

Established initially in 1980 as the Prisoners Aid Society, Commission Against Terrorism and the Bureau of Missing and Kidnapped Children by Ansar Burney in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, the Ansar Burney Trust International (as it is now known) 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 Trust is a network of human rights organisations and volunteers working to deliver justice, better treatment of human beings, and for the rights and freedoms of civil liberty.

It works to raise awareness, provide free legal advice.

and services and humanitarian assistance where needed.

It has been involved in bringing reforms to police stations, prisons, and mental institutions, and worked for the aid, advice, release, rehabilitation, and welfare of illegally and unlawfully detained prisoners and mental patients.

It also works for the rehabilitation and welfare of the families of these victims on humanitarian grounds in the greater interest of justice and humanity without any affiliation or consideration for any political party, group or activity.

The Trust has made steady progress in achieving its objectives and has started a number of centers for various projects in Pakistan and abroad.

It also publishes newsletters and human rights reports to spread awareness of issues and to encourage more people to become involved.

On 16 November 2007, Ansar Burney was sworn in as Pakistan's caretaker federal minister for the newly established Human Rights ministry.

He was in charge of establishing the ministry, creating a national commission on human rights, and overseeing the general elections in Pakistan.

During his term as a federal minister, Burney visited 25 prisons and mental asylums throughout Pakistan, resulting in the release of several hundred innocent persons including children as young as seven.

He also pushed for further reforms to prisons, government controlled orphanages, and shelter homes for women.

On 27 March 2008, Ansar Burney was elected unopposed 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."

Ansar Burney has worked for the cause of justice for decades and has been successful in securing the release of around 900,000 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 55 years on false charges or those confined in mental institutions even though they are perfectly sane or born in prisons.

Having been imprisoned himself, Burney witnessed the conditions in which prisoners were living and set about immediately to help them.

He began by visiting many prisons and mental institutions in Pakistan looking for individuals confined on false charges, locked away without charge or persons who had been framed.

He also began to speak out 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 by having representatives in prisons and mental institutions, the Ansar Burney Trust monitors to ensure that no prisoner or patient is abused.

It has successfully lobbied for better living conditions and food, separate prisons for men and women, education and training for prisoners.

It has put a stop to the shackling of mental patients and children in chains and has successfully managed to end the practice of jailed women giving birth in prison.

The Trust arranges parties and entertainment for prisoners and patients.