Ansar Burney (Urdu: انصار برنی; born 14 August 1956 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan) 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. In 1980, Ansar Burney began the "Ansar Burney Welfare Trust", "Prisoners Aid Society", and "Bureau of Missing and Kidnapped Persons" in Karachi, Pakistan.
Ansar Burney is accredited as being the first man to introduce the concept of human rights in Pakistan nearly 30 years ago.[1] He and his organisation (the Ansar Burney Trust) are also accredited for securing the release of around 700,000 innocent prisoners from countries all around the world.[2] One such famous case was that of Mr. Muhammad Akhtar, in which Akhtar's mother was raped before his birth in prison. After Akhtar's birth no one wanted to accept him and he spent 40 years in prison before his release.[3]
Because of his outstanding achievements in the field of human and civil rights, Ansar Burney was the first man to receive the Pakistani National Civil Award Sitara-i-Imtiaz on 23 March 2002.[4] And due to his two decade long international campaign to end child slavery in the Middle East in the form of child camel jockeys, Ansar Burney was declared an 'Anti-Human Trafficking Hero' in the 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report by the US State Department.[5]
On 16 November 2007, Ansar Burney was sworn in as Pakistan's caretaker Federal Minister for Human Rights. He will be the first man to head the newly established Human Rights ministry of Pakistan.
On 27 March 2008, he was elected for a term of three years as one of the 18 members of the United NationsHuman 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".[6]
In 2008 he was listed in a poll by The Financial Daily as a favorite personality.[citation needed]
Ansar Burney also played an instrumental role in getting the crew of MV Suez free from the captivity of Somali pirates in 2011.
Anti-corruption movement
On Aug 22, 2011, Ansar Buney announced that following the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations at the end of Ramadan, he would initiate an anti-corruption movement in Pakistan based on the popular movement of Anna Hazare in India.
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