Pakistan: Human Rights Assessments
Updated May 8, 2024
Pakistan: Human Rights Assessments
Overview
Muslims remain sacrosanct and given discriminatory
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary
preference over religious minorities and sects.”
republic. As reported by the State Department’s 2023
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (also known
The U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) also has
as Human Rights Reports or HRRs), Pakistan is the site of
expressed concern over “continued persecution and acts of
numerous human rights abuses, many of them significant,
violence perpetrated by state and non-state actors” in
some seen to be perpetrated by agents of the government.
Pakistan, some of it “fueled by claims of apostasy and
According to the 2023 HRR, “The government rarely took
blasphemy.” The U.S. Commission on International
credible steps to identify and punish officials who may have
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) decried “the increasing use
committed human rights abuses.” United Nations bodies
of Pakistan’s blasphemy law in 2023,” including its
and many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) convey
“disproportionate” use against religious minorities.
related concerns. In recent decades, congressional
USCIRF has since 2002 recommended annually that
legislation and U.S. law have included attention to the
Pakistan be designated as a Country of Particular of
status of democracy and human rights in Pakistan. The
Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom
following sections describe selected areas of concern.
Act “for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing,
and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief.”
Democracy and Civil-Military Relations
The State Department has designated Pakistan as a CPC
Democracy and constitutionalism have fared poorly in
since 2018 while waiving any related country sanctions.
Pakistan since its 1947 independence. The 2022 HRR
conveyed that, “While military and intelligence services
Press Freedom
officially report to civilian authorities, they operate
The 2023 HRR states that “threats, harassment, abductions,
independently and without effective civilian oversight.”
violence, and killings [including by security forces] led
The State Department joined other observers in assessing
journalists and editors to practice self-censorship and
that Pakistan’s February 2024 national elections “included
follow editorial directives from the government,” adding,
undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association,
“Journalists suffered high levels of violence, or threats of
and peaceful assembly,” and it condemned “electoral
violence, from state and nonstate actors, including political
violence, restrictions on the exercise of human rights and
parties.” U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) similarly
fundamental freedoms.” The United Nations, European
reports that, in 2023, “Government threats and attacks on
Union, and United Kingdom expressed similar concerns.
the media created a climate of fear,” and, “Authorities
pressured or threatened media outlets not to criticize
U.S.-based nonprofit Freedom House designates Pakistan as
government institutions or the judiciary.” Paris-based
“Partly Free,” on a downward trend since 2017, with a
Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 Press Freedom Index
military that “intimidates the media” and a “politicized”
ranks Pakistan 152nd of 180 countries, down from 150th in
judiciary. The Sweden-based Varieties of Democracies
2023, asserting that “the political-military elite retains
project has classified Pakistan as “an electoral autocracy”
broad control over the media,” and “Pakistan is one of the
since 2015 and ranks it 119th of 179 countries on a 2024
most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.”
“Liberal Democracy Index.” In early 2024, the EIU
Democracy Index 2023 downgraded Pakistan from a
Freedom of Expression
“hybrid regime” to an “authoritarian regime,” saying
According to the 2023 HRR, there are “serious restrictions”
Pakistan’s “regression” in 2023 was the worst in the region.
on free expression and on internet freedom in Pakistan. The
law permits citizens to criticize the government publicly or
Religious Freedom
privately, “but court decisions interpreted the constitution
Pakistan’s population is approximately 96% Muslim. The
as prohibiting criticism of the military and judiciary.” On
State Department’s 2022 Report on International Religious
the internet, “The government uses a systematic,
Freedom reports on abuses affecting religious minorities
nationwide, content-monitoring and filtering system to
there—including Shia and Ahmadi Muslims—as well as
restrict or block ‘unlawful’ content,” including materials
“the increasing frequency of attempts to kidnap, forcibly
deemed un-Islamic or critical of the state or military forces.
convert, and forcibly marry young women and girls from
HRW claims Pakistani authorities “routinely use draconian
religious minority communities, especially Hindus and
counterterrorism and sedition laws to intimidate peaceful
Christians.” In a 2024 report, the nongovernmental Human
critics.” Freedom House rates Pakistan’s internet as “Not
Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said, “Violence in
Free.” It also criticizes Pakistani authorities for “a long
the name of religion has increasingly become the status quo
history of using the education system to portray Hindus and
in Pakistan. Regrettably, the sentiments of majoritarian
other non-Muslims negatively and to rationalize enmity
between Pakistan and India,” assessing that, “Past attempts
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Pakistan: Human Rights Assessments
to modernize education and introduce religious tolerance
Women’s Status
into school textbooks have made little progress.”
There continues to be “extensive gender-based violence” in
Pakistan, as per the 2023 HRR: “Women faced legal and
Civil Society
economic discrimination. The law prohibited discrimination
The 2023 HRR reports “overly restrictive laws for the
based on sex, but authorities did not enforce it.… Women
operation of [NGOs] and civil society organizations” in
were victims of various types of societal violence and
Pakistan: “The government increasingly restricted the
abuse, including so-called honor killings, forced marriages
operating ability of NGOs ... particularly those whose work
and conversions, imposed isolation, and usage as chattel to
revealed shortcomings or misdeeds of the government,
settle tribal disputes.” Freedom House assesses that
military, or intelligence services, or that worked on matters
“Women face discrimination in employment despite legal
related to conflict areas or advocacy.” Freedom House
protections and are placed at a disadvantage under personal
similarly reports that both domestic and foreign NGOs face
status laws. Many perpetrators of gender-based violence
“intrusive registration requirements and vetting by military
and sexual harassment or discrimination enjoy impunity.”
intelligence officials.” The HRCP argues that Pakistan’s
The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report
government had “gone so far as to prevent prominent
2023 ranks Pakistan 142nd of 146 countries, just above Iran,
members of civil society from expressing their views” on
with an especially low score in the “Economic Participation
the country’s Afghan refugee deportation policy in 2023.
and Opportunity” subcategory.
Corruption
Human Rights in Kashmir
The 2023 HRR finds that in Pakistan “corruption was
In 2019, the UNHRC assessed that the people of Pakistan-
pervasive in politics and government, and various
administered Kashmir are “deprived of a number of
politicians and public office holders faced allegations of
fundamental human rights, particularly in relation to
corruption, including bribery, extortion, cronyism,
freedoms of expression and opinion, peaceful assembly and
nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement.” Berlin-
association.” Freedom House continues to designate
based Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions
Pakistan-administered Kashmir as “Not Free,” arguing that
Index 2023 ranks Pakistan 133rd of 180 countries, with a
“any political activity deemed contrary to Pakistan’s policy
slightly improved score and “strong judicial oversight”
on Kashmir” is restricted. The 2023 HRR notes that, to
halting a four-year downward trend. Freedom House calls
publish in the region, media owners continued to require
official corruption in Pakistan “endemic in practice.”
permission from federal government agencies, and that
citizens of the region have no representation in the national
Enforced Disappearances and Extrajudicial Killings
parliament. The HRCP concludes that “crackdowns” on
From the 2023 HRR: “Kidnappings and enforced
economic demonstrations in Pakistan Kashmir in 2023
disappearances of persons took place across the country,”
included “severe human rights violations.”
and, “There were numerous reports the government or its
agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including
Other Issues
extrajudicial killings” in 2023. London-based Amnesty
The 2023 HRR also finds significant human rights issues in
International similarly reports: “As in previous years,
Pakistan included, among others, “credible reports of”
enforced disappearances of journalists, human rights
torture and cases of cruel or inhuman treatment by the
defenders and critics of the government and military
government or its agents; harsh and life-threatening prison
establishment were carried out by authorities with
conditions; transnational repression against individuals in
impunity.” The HRCP’s State of Human Rights in 2023
another country; arbitrary or unlawful interference with
found “short-term disappearances being used increasingly
privacy; substantial interference with the freedom of
to silence dissent” and, along with extrajudicial killings and
peaceful assembly and freedom of association; enforcement
torture by state agencies, “showed no signs of abatement.”
of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct
between adults; crimes involving violence or threats of
Human Trafficking and Bonded Labor
violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
The State Department’s 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report
queer, or intersex persons; and significant or systematic
places Pakistan in the “Tier 2” category, meaning its
restrictions on workers’ freedom of association.
government “does not fully meet the minimum standards
for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant
Issues for Congress
efforts to do so.” It finds the government did not meet
For 15 years, from FY2009 through FY2023, Congress
standards in areas including “inadequate” law enforcement
formally linked U.S. foreign assistance to Pakistan to
efforts against labor trafficking and “inadequate” action on
improvements in that country’s democratization and human
“credible reports of official complicity in trafficking.” The
rights conditions (all but one of the limitation provisions
HRCP finds that “a serious lack of coordination among law
provided the Administration with waiver authority). The
enforcement agencies continues to allow [human]
Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-
traffickers to operate with impunity.” The U.S. Department
47) contains no such linkages. Also in the 118th Congress,
of Labor says “children in Pakistan are vulnerable to the
H.Res. 901—expressing support for democracy and human
worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual
rights in Pakistan—was passed unanimously by the House
exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking.”
Foreign Affairs Committee in March 2024.
The Biden Administration requests $103 million in foreign
assistance to Pakistan for FY2025. Congress could consider
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Pakistan: Human Rights Assessments
whether or not to condition some or all of such aid on
K. Alan Kronstadt, Specialist in South Asian Affairs
improvements in democracy and human rights in Pakistan.
IF12215
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