21 April 2008 :

Pakistan, in a significant and a long-awaited step, has ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture (CAT). Joining the main international human rights instruments reflects the commitment of the democratic government to promote human rights in Pakistan, including the rights of women, children, minorities and the underprivileged, says an announcement from the Foreign Office.
When a senior official was asked if, after taking this step, Pakistan's political government would be in a position to fully implement it, he replied, "Nothing, anywhere in the world is perfect. As a nation we can make the best efforts to implement it. This is in itself an evolutionary process and we will gradually reach our goals. By signing and ratifying these conventions, we are indicating that we are sensitive to these issues and wish to implement them. Even in a country like the United States, there is no perfection as far as these conventions are concerned, but Pakistan certainly has the political will to put these in place."