Leading Pakistan rights group decries government crackdown
"In the past few months, HRCP has faced a series of arbitrary, illegal and unjustified actions that have impeded the organization's ability to carry out its mandate," the commission said in a statement released earlier in July.
Harris Khalique, HRCP's secretary-general, told DW that the group has been facing "unprecedented pressure."
"Authorities prevent us from organizing events and create disruptions. They have sealed the HRCP's Lahore office, frozen our bank accounts, claiming it is involved in commercial activities, and have blocked our electricity meters while issuing inflated bills," he said.
Events organized in various cities were obstructed, and staff received threatening phone calls warning them against discussing topics considered sensitive.
"We are against both violence and militancy. Individuals claiming to represent security agencies, along with those identifying as officials from the Interior Ministry, are threatening our female staff," said Khalique.
The HRCP was co-founded in 1987 by late lawyer and activist Asma Jahangir, former Supreme Court Justice Dorab Patel and former Air Force Chief of Staff Zafar Chaudhry. It has since grown into Pakistan's leading human rights organization.
The HRCP has consistently acted as an independent and credible advocate for civil liberties, both within Pakistan and on the global stage. Amid pressure from authorities, the HRCP has voiced significant concern regarding the increasingly shrinking space for human rights advocacy in Pakistan.
Government cites 'security concerns'
The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated in recent years, with militant attacks occurring regularly. In the southwest, security forces are engaged in a long-standing conflict with Baloch separatist militants.
Pakistan's foremost opposition party, Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was not allowed to contest the 2024 election as a party, resulting in violent protests and a crackdown on its members and supporters. Khan remains imprisoned on various charges, which his party has said are politically motivated.
The government has denied pressuring the HRCP, and says it is taking measures to ensure security.
"The standard operating procedures are in place for events due to security concerns and there are ongoing protests in the country. We have put no restrictions on freedom of expression, " Talal Chaudhry, state minister of interior, told DW.
Chaudhry added that "online events are also being conducted without any limitations, and the state is not restricting them."
But Hina Jilani, a human rights advocate and member of the HRCP's council, disputes this claim.
"The government is employing tactics to silence the group activities. Our events are being obstructed and there are efforts to introduce laws that could impact our finances, hindering our ability to carry out the work," she told DW.
Jilani cited two examples of the government placing bureaucratic hurdles that prevented an HRCP community outreach event from taking place in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, and a roundtable discussion in Islamabad focused on the human rights situation in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan province.
Jilani said the government crackdown threatens the "HRCP's autonomy and poses a significant risk to the human rights of the people of Pakistan."
Shrinking space for rights in Pakistan
The human rights situation in Pakistan remains marked by inadequate judicial protection and rising authoritarianism.
According to Amnesty International's 2024 report on Pakistan, authorities "weaponized laws" on defamation and hate speech as the security situation deteriorated amid militant attacks.
Amnesty cited dozens of examples of legal measures to suppress opposition parties, particularly targeting Imran Khan's PTI following protests in May 2023. More than 80 people were imprisoned in connection with the protests after "secret trials."
Freedom of the press and freedom of assembly have also been severely curtailed.
"Enforced disappearances continued unabated, targeting journalists, activists, students, comedians, political opponents and families of political opponents," the Amnesty report said.
In 2024, Pakistan's democracy ranking fell six places, placing it among the "top 10 worst performers" in the Democracy Index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Independent media outlets are facing increasing pressure, censorship and economic hardship. Social media platforms are often restricted during protests or political events.
"Pakistan has become a completely authoritarian regime, there are no courts, there is no media, they have broken the civil society," Imaan Mazari, a rights activist and lawyer, told DW.
"The human rights situation in Pakistan is deplorable and effectively we are living in a martial law," she added.
HRCP vows to continue work
However, HRCP leader Khalique remains optimistic and said the commission will continue its work and "persist in efforts to advocate for the rights of the people of Pakistan."
On pressure from the government, Khalique said he hopes for more cooperation in the future.
"We are critical friends, not adversaries, and we aspire for a healthy society and a strong country," he said. "We are an independent organization that strives to remain neutral and evidence based. We cannot compromise our integrity."
Edited by: Wesley Rahn
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