Islamabad: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) unveiled its annual report today, underscoring a significant decline in civic freedoms and law and order, compounded by growing militancy and stress on federalism throughout 2024. The report paints a stark picture of the nation’s political and social landscape in the past year.
The report, titled “State of Human Rights in 2024,” outlines concerns over the February 2024 general elections, which were marred by accusations of electoral manipulation. This political instability left a major political party’s reserved seats in limbo and resulted in the government passing several controversial laws, perceived as undermining democratic processes.
Militancy saw a sharp rise, with fatalities surpassing 2,500, predominantly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Vigilante violence, including at least 24 deaths linked to blasphemy allegations, further exacerbated the situation.
HRCP chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt highlighted continued state-sanctioned violence, noting 379 new cases of enforced disappearance, extrajudicial killings, and thousands of staged police encounters. Former chairperson Hina Jilani emphasized that enforced disappearances and terrorism cannot be justified under any circumstances and stressed the need for lawful responses to violence.
The report also details the plight of those charged with blasphemy, with over 1,200 individuals imprisoned and the Ahmadiyya community experiencing targeted violence. Social media platform X remains banned, and journalists face arrests, reflecting a governmental intolerance for dissent.
Pakistan’s judicial system struggles with over 2.4 million pending cases and severe prison overcrowding. Meanwhile, miners, sanitation workers, and polio workers faced increased safety risks, and violence against women and children persisted at alarming rates.
The report concludes with HRCP Islamabad vice-chair Nasreen Azhar’s concerns over executive overreach following the 26th constitutional amendment, marking a challenging year for Pakistan’s democracy and human rights landscape.