A Statement from CIVICUS forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
The state of civic space in Pakistan is rated as ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Ongoing concerns include the repression against the opposition, the censorship of journalists and attacks on peaceful protests by the opposition and human rights movements. Other ongoing concerns include the criminalisation, threats and harassment of human rights defenders and the failure to hold perpetrators to account. There have also been violations documented against ethnic Pashtun, Sindh and Baloch minorities and women’s rights activists.
The UN Human Rights Committee reviewed Pakistan’s record in implementing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in October 2024. The Committee was concerned about reports of an increase in enforced disappearances of human rights defenders, journalists, students, political activists, members of ethnic and religious minorities, public officials and political opponents. It was also concerned about arbitrary restrictions, in law and in practice, on freedom of expression online and offline, legislation that unduly restricts the exercise of the right of peaceful assembly and the legal and policy framework and procedures governing the activities of national and international NGOs that unduly restrict the exercise of the right to freedom of association.
In recent months, human rights activists, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, have faced trumped-up charges, woman rights defender Amar Sindhu faced online harassment, while human rights defender Idris Khattak marks five years in detention. The government banned a prominent Pashtun rights group and has proposed draconian amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act. Journalists have continued to be targeted by the authorities, the authorities passed a bill with sweeping controls on social media, and online censorship persists. There has been a deadly crackdown on the opposition, Baloch activists and in Sindh.
ASSOCIATION
HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST CHARGED WITH AIDING SEPARATISTS
In October 2024, prominent human rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch (pictured above) was charged with aiding separatist groups in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The charges against Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), include accusations of incitement, spreading hatred, and facilitating terrorist organisations.
According to the JURIST News, the case against Baloch was registered following a complaint filed by local businessman Asad Ali at the Quaidabad police station in Karachi. Ali alleged that Baloch had incited youth against the state and facilitated militant activities under the guise of peaceful protests and rallies. According to the first information report (FIR), Baloch and her group maintain contact with hostile foreign elements and have been involved in organising sit-ins across various cities, which the police claim disrupt public order and security.
The FIR also invoked Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including Section 7 of the ATA (punishment for acts of terrorism), Section 124-A (sedition law), and Sections 148, 149, 153-A, 500, and 505, related to rioting, defamation and promoting enmity between groups.
Baloch, a vocal critic of Pakistan’s security agencies, denied the allegations and called the case against her fabricated. She stated that the government is using coercive tactics to suppress her peaceful activism. “These measures are part of a systematic campaign to harass me and divert attention from the state’s failure to maintain law and order,” Baloch posted on social media platform X. She vowed to challenge the charges in court.
The case comes just days after Baloch was prevented from boarding a flight to New York, where she was to attend TIME Magazine’s gala honouring her as one of the 100 most influential emerging leaders of 2024. Alongside fellow activist Sammi Deen Baloch, she was subjected to harassment at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, where her passport was confiscated without explanation.
In January 2025, Pakistan authorities registered another FIR against Mahrang Baloch and other participants for a gathering held in the Tepul area of Naseerabad. The event was part of the BYC’s awareness campaign across Balochistan in preparation for a national gathering on 25th January 2025 in Dalbandin, commemorating Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day. According to the FIR, the participants violated Section 144, which prohibits public gatherings of five people or more.
As previously documented, in June 2024, Pakistan authorities filed a First Information Report (FIR), including false sedition charges, against Dr. Mahrang Baloch. The FIR is linked to a full day conference held by Mahrang Baloch at the Quetta Press Club on 18th May 2024, which was unjustly disrupted by local authorities, who arrested multiple social media activists across the country.
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER AND HUSBAND ARRESTED
Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali were arrested on 28th October 2024 by the Islamabad police. She was arrested for allegedly “creating a security risk” during the England cricket team’s visit by removing road barriers. A video, shared on social media, purportedly showed Imaan and Ali moving road barriers to clear the path for traffic.
24 hours after they were arrested, they were charged with “interference in state duties”, an offence under Section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code as well as Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act. They were then given a three-day physical remand by an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC).
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the couple’s arrest, saying it was made on “vague charges” while Amnesty International said: “Such action by the authorities is excessive, disproportionate and in violation of Pakistan’s obligations under international law.”
This is not the first time Mazari-Hazir has been targeted. As previously documented, she was arrested, without an arrest warrant, in August 2023 under the Anti-Terrorism Act for various crimes including sedition and disruption of State affairs, following a public speech she gave two days before. She was granted bail before being rearrested a few hours later on a charge of funding terrorism and then released on bail.
Woman human rights defender harassed online
In January 2024, the Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network (SHRDN) highlighted the cyber-harassment and intimidation of women rights defender Professor Amar Sindhu. She was subjected to this from fake social media accounts
Amar Sindhu is also a poet and pioneer of a café known as Khanabadosh, a place where activists, writers, singers gather and plan for cultural programs and cultural education. Amar also leads a group of women activists who holds the annual Ayaz Mela (literary festival).
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders on 21st January 2025 said that she had received disturbing news about an online smear campaign against Sindhu. She added: “Such attacks are regularly used against women’s rights defenders. The state has a duty to effectively investigate.”
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER IDRIS KHATTAK MARKS FIVE YEARS IN DETENTION
Human rights defender Idris Khattak has spent five years in detention as a reprisal for his work.
The human rights defender was forcibly disappeared on 13th November 2019, and found in state custody over seven months later. He was tried and convicted by a military court under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment in December 2021. According to Front Line Defenders, an appeal against his conviction is pending before a military court and offers some hope for his release.
Idris Khattak is a human rights defender who has campaigned for the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, especially against violations by military and intelligence agencies in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area. He is an outspoken critic of oppressive state policies and has documented systemic violations against oppressed communities.
In December 2024, UN experts condemned his unlawful detention and called on the government of Pakistan to ensure his immediate and unconditional release. They said: “Mr. Khattak has allegedly been subject to a series of egregious abuses and human rights violations in the past five years, since he was taken into military custody in November 2019.”
GOVERNMENT BANS PROMINENT PASHTUN RIGHTS GROUP
In October 2024 the government banned the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), or Pashtun Protection Movement, a prominent rights group, listing it as a “proscribed organisation”.
A notification issued by the federal government on 6th October 2024 said the PTM was “engaged in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security of the country”. It was placed under the First Schedule for ‘List of Proscribed Organisations’ of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
Pashtuns are a distinct ethnic group with their own Pashto language, living mostly in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The movement, founded in 2014, advocates for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns. PTM is known for its strident criticism of Pakistan’s powerful military for its role in alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of rights activists and ethnic leaders.
Amnesty International said: “The listing of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement as a proscribed organization, days ahead of their gathering scheduled on 11th October, is part of a systematic and relentless clampdown by the Pakistani authorities on peaceful protests and assemblies by dissenting groups.”
Authorities arrest social media activists across the country
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated a large-scale operation in December 2024, arresting 30 social media activists involved in ‘spreading fake propaganda’ across the country and criticism of the army around alleged killings during a crackdown on protests. According to reports, this operation, led by the FIA Cybercrime Wing, resulted in multiple arrests and the registration of numerous First Information Reports (FIRs) in various regions.
According to FIA officials, the Cybercrime Wing in Punjab arrested 26 individuals and registered 66 FIRs across districts, including Lahore. Islamabad’s Cybercrime Wing has also been active, registering 51 FIRs in its jurisdiction. In Multan, FIA operations led to the arrest of 14 individuals and the registration of over 30 cases.
Meanwhile, Karachi saw 16 FIRs registered, Sukkur recorded four, and Hyderabad registered five cases. FIA Quetta reported the registration of three FIRs during the ongoing operation. They were charged under various sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
CONCERNS ABOUT PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE ANTI-TERRORISM ACT
In November 2024, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)expressed concern over the introduction of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2024, which will authorise the state to detain individuals for ‘inquiry’ for up to three months, merely based on ‘credible information’ or ‘reasonable suspicion’, without judicial oversight, on the presumption that they pose a threat to national security or public order.
HRCP said that of concern is the fact that the bill also empowers the armed forces to detain individuals on mere suspicion and without civilian or judicial oversight. This is tantamount to legalising the use of enforced disappearances and internment centres, with scant regard for the right to due process and fair trial as protected by Articles 10 and 10A of the Constitution.
Additionally, the grounds for such detention are imprecise and subjective and do not meet the threshold for the derogation of rights under article 4, paragraph 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). As such, the amendment is open-ended rather than referring to temporary or exceptional circumstances.
Amnesty International also raised concerns that the Bill will vest broad and discretionary powers to ‘armed forces’ to subject any individual to arbitrary detention, referred to as ‘preventive detention’. The group said it was deeply concerned by the involvement of the military in law enforcement operations.
The proposed amendment was presented in the National Assembly on 1st November 2024 by the Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and was referred to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior for consideration.
EXPRESSION
TARGETING OF JOURNALISTS BY THE AUTHORITIES
In October 2024, the UN Human Rights Committee raised concerns about the chilling effect of criminal defamation laws, blasphemy, sedition and counter-terrorism laws and other recently adopted legislation on the exercise of freedom of expression by journalists.
The Committee was further concerned about reports of increased coercion and censorship of media outlets for airing criticism of the Government, the military and the intelligence agencies, including closures and suspension of licences for television channels, notably by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. It also remains concerned about frequent reports of enforced disappearance, torture, killing, threats, harassment and intimidation of journalists.
Veteran journalist Matiullah Jan was taken into custody by Islamabad Police on 27th November 2024, with police registering a First Information Report on spurious drug possession and terrorism charges. Jan was initially abducted with another journalist Sadiq Bashir by unidentified individuals. Bashir was later released, whilst Jan’s whereabouts were unknown until his appearance at the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) the following day. He was released from custody on bail on 1st December 2024. Jan, who is known for his criticism of the country’s powerful institutions, including its military, vehemently denied the charges against him.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the baseless charges. Previously, in July 2020 he was picked up by unidentified armed men from a busy street in Islamabad and released 12 hours later. He pointed fingers at Pakistan’s security agencies for his abduction.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), broadcast journalist Harmeet Singh was summoned to appear for questioning on 24th December 2024 at the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Reporting Center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on allegations he engaged in “negative rhetoric against state institutions.” The FIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Center in the capital Islamabad also registered a FIR, which opens an investigation, against Singh, an anchor for local news outlet Such TV. The report accuses him of using his social media account to “propagate a misleading, concocted, and baseless campaign against state institutions and security agencies of Pakistan.”
The allegations relate to Singh’s social media activity during November 2024 protests that he covered in Islamabad by supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. A special court in Islamabad granted Singh pre-arrest bail.
CASES FILED AGAINST 150 JOURNALISTS UNDER PECA
In December 2024, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the arrest orders of 150 journalists under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), accusing them of spreading ‘a false narrative against state institutions’ — in particular against security agencies over the crackdown on opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) supporters on 26th November 2024 in the federal capital.
In a sweeping strike, the FIA has initiated legal action against the list of 150, including journalists, vloggers, and an anchorperson. Various sections of PECA were used, including Sections 9, 10, 11 and 24, which pertain to incitement, defamation and dissemination of false information.
The PFUJ demanded immediate withdrawal of the arrest orders against journalists, including Asif Bashir Choudhary, General Secretary of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), and anchorperson Harmeet Singh. The PFUJ also called for a thorough investigation into the matter and sought guarantees for the safety and security of journalists.
Authorities pass bill with sweeping controls on social media
In January 2025, the government further tightened its control on online speech by its passage of amendments to the draconian Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) at the National Assembly.
According to Amnesty International, the amendment introduces a criminal offence for those perpetrating so-called ‘false and fake information’ and imposes a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment with a fine. The vague and ambiguous framing of some elements of the offence, together with a history of the PECA being used to silence dissent, raises concerns that this new offence will chill what little is left of the right to online expression in the country.
The amendment also expands the powers previously available to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) through the newly created Social Media Regulation and Protection Authority. These provisions grant authorities power to block and remove content based on vague criteria, which will violate the right to freedom of expression and fail to meet standards of proportionality and necessity under international human rights law.
The amendment Bill was presented in and passed by the National Assembly on 23rd January 2025, by the Senate on 28th January 2024, and signed by President Asif Ali Zardari the following day.
ONGOING INTERNET CENSORSHIP
In the last week of November 2024, Pakistan went into what was essentially an internet blackout. Social media apps like WhatsApp were inaccessible after the authorities blocked internet and mobile phone services. This was ahead of a planned march to Islamabad by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), in protest at Khan’s imprisonment.
The government cited security concerns and initially said it would be a partial shutdown, but internet delays and shutdowns were reported across the country. Two weeks after the protest, users were still reporting connection delays impacting both their communications and their livelihoods. In addition to this most recent internet shutdown, Pakistani authorities have also restricted connection through a content specific “firewall”. Social media site X has been down since February 2024.
Those using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in order to circumvent restrictions are also facing challenges. On 10th November 2024, internet users started reporting that VPNs were completely blocked, with the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) soon after introducing a portal for registration. The Interior Ministry, the ministry that seems to have the final say on most censorship and surveillance measures, demanded the blocking of all VPNs on 15th November 2024. On 2nd December 2024, the PTA devised a new strategy to register VPNs by introducing a licence category under which companies can apply to provide VPN services.
PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY
The UN Human Rights Committee raised concerns in October 2024 about the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, and section 14 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Administration (Public Service Delivery and Good Governance) Act, 2020. It was also concerned about reports that blanket bans on assemblies are frequently imposed under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, particularly to ban gatherings deemed unfavourable to the government.
The Committee also highlighted the use of the provisions on sedition and unlawful assembly in the Pakistan Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, which has resulted in the prolonged detention of protestors, notably human rights defenders, political opponents, activists and members of ethnic and religious minorities, and instances of intimidation, enforced disappearances, torture, excessive use of force and mass and arbitrary arrests of participants in assemblies
CRACKDOWN ON PROTESTS BY THE POLITICAL OPPOSITION
On 5th October 2024, police cracked down on protests by the Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), the political party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), police reportedly used tear gas and blocked roads to prevent the march.
Hundreds of PTI supporters, many of whom had traveled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party controls the provincial government, violently clashed with police during a march outside Islamabad. Dozens of protesters and police were reportedly injured, with one officer dying due to injuries, and over 500 people arrested, including many opposition political party supporters and people protesting peacefully.
Many were charged under vague and overbroad laws prohibiting rioting and creating threats to public order. In the weeks before the march, police had arrested a number of PTI legislators and party leaders in night raids.
ARREST AND ILL-TREATMENT OF PROTESTERS AT SINDH RAWADARI MARCH
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the authorities meted out violent treatment against civil society activists who took part in the Sindh Rawadari March in Karachi on 13th October 2024. Scores of protestors were arrested – including HRCP Sindh vice-chair Qazi Khizer Habib – and numerous others, including women. Many were physically assaulted by the Karachi police. Most were released soon after. The authorities had imposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to block the gathering.
The Sindh Rawadari March was intended as a peaceful demonstration calling for justice for Dr Shahnawaz Kunbher, who was accused of blasphemy and subsequently shot dead by a police officer. The march had brought together progressive voices from across Sindh and should have received the full support of any government claiming to hold progressive, democratic credentials. Instead, an FIR was lodged against several protestors, including those who were subjected to violence by the police.
DEADLY CRACKDOWN ON OPPOSITION PROTESTERS
The PTI announced protests in the capital city Islamabad on 24th November 2024, calling for the release of former Prime Minister and party leader Imran Khan. According to Amnesty International, in response, the government disrupted internet services across the country and shut down mobile internet in Islamabad for four days. All major highways and routes leading to Islamabad were barricaded to hinder the movement of protesters, with reportedly 4,000 PTI supporters detained prior to the protests across the country and about 610 arrested.
Between 26th and 27th November 2024, there were multiple clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies, after military forces were called into the capital invoking provisions relating to ‘external aggression or threat of war’ in the Pakistan Constitution. Reports suggest unlawful use of tear gas and ‘shoot at sight’ orders against the protestors. According to PTI, at least 12 supporters lost their lives while at least four paramilitary soldiers died during the clashes.
CRACKDOWN AROUND BALOCH PROTEST IN KARACHI
On 18th January 2025 the Karachi police initiated a crackdown ahead of a peaceful demonstration of Baloch people and sympathisers in the city, the capital of Pakistan’s Sindh province.
According to Medya News, the protest was intended to take place at 2pm but was violently obstructed by police. Prominent members of the human rights group, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), were among those arrested.
The arrests come in the wake of a mobilisation campaign by the BYC to stage protests in multiple cities leading up to a major protest in Dalbandin, Balochistan province, on 25th January 2025, ‘Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day’.
Several BYC members and feminists were unlawfully arrested, including Lala Wahab Baloch, Sammi Deen Baloch, Fouzia Baloch and Amna Baloch. Graphic videos show the women having their hair pulled by the Karachi police, and others among the crowd being generally manhandled. BYC Deputy Organiser and Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) General Secretary Sammi Deen Baloch was held at Karadar Police Station, while Lala Wahab Baloch was held at Chakiwara Police Station.
Police arrest opposition members ahead of election anniversary protest
On 8th February 2025, Pakistan police arrested multiple opposition members ahead of a planned protest by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) opposition parties to mark the first anniversary of the national elections, which they say were rigged to benefit their opponents.
Pakistan’s general election was marred by a mobile Internet shutdown and unusually delayed results. The polls threw up a hung National Assembly and were followed by weeks of protests by opposition parties over allegations of rigging and vote count fraud.
The PML-N administration also imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, banning large gatherings across the province to prevent political demonstrations.
