In its World Report 2022, the Human Rights Watch has painted a disturbingly grim picture of civil rights abuses in Pakistan. In a separate chapter on Pakistan, the report points out that Pakistani authorities expanded their use of draconian sedition and counterterrorism laws to stifle dissent, and strictly regulated civil society groups critical of government actions or policies.
Dissent is an extremely important part of any democracy. It is crucial as a means to maintain equilibrium within society. Without dissent, progress is difficult and it is complicated for people to judge what is happening in their nation and with the government that they elected.
As per the report, the Pakistani government intensified efforts to control the media, harassed and at times detained independent-minded journalists and vocal civil society activists. Media houses were pressured to lay off journalists critical of the government.
The report went on the say that Pakistan law enforcement agencies were responsible for numerous human rights violations, including detention without charge and extrajudicial killings. In March, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan met with families of people who had been forcibly disappeared and pledged that their concerns would be addressed. However, his government announced no investigations in any cases.
Pakistan has still not enacted a law criminalizing torture despite Pakistan’s obligation to do so under the UN Convention against Torture. In July, the Pakistan Senate unanimously approved a critically important bill outlawing police torture and otherwise seeking to prevent deaths in police custody. However, the law had not been passed yet.
Violence against women and girls—including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, and forced marriage—is endemic throughout Pakistan. Incidents of forced conversion of religious minorities and attacks on their places of worship also continued with the government failing to take appropriate legislative measures to protect them.
Several media watchdog bodies and civil rights organisations have been frequently highlighting the deteriorating state of affairs. Unfortunately, the government has always avoided criticism of its repressive policies and instead shifted the blame back onto media and civil rights activists.
The fight for civil rights is essentially a fight for the powerless. In the past, many governments have rejected such reports on human rights abuses. Respect for human rights in the country can only be instituted when the state is ready to admit and rectify its own approach.
