By Paddy Briggs
When multinational corporations embrace a commitment to Human Rights the test is not (only) the immediate check as to whether such a commitment gels with their history and their current behaviour but also how they respond when the circumstances change in one of their areas of operation. So as the eyes of the world are on Pakistan at the moment and we are all asking whether the livelihoods and security of the millions of innocent citizens in that benighted country have been better protected by General Musharraf’s “second coup” it is also reasonable to look at the response of the many multinationals operating there particularly those, like Shell, which have boasted a commitment to Human Rights.