On February 9, the Federal Investigating Agency arrested Rizwan-ur-Rehman Razi, a journalist and television host in Lahore, for social media posts that allegedly “defamed state institutions” in violation of Pakistan’s cybercrimes law. On election day on July 25, 31 people were killed in a suicide attack targeting a polling station in Quetta. In June 2019, Pakistan's Supreme Court halted the execution of Ghulam Abbas, a prisoner with a psychosocial disability who had spent more than 13 years on death row. Amnesty International, International Commission of Jurists, Human Rights Watch issue joint statement. Taliban and other militant groups targeted candidates and their supporters in the lead-up to the July election. Pakistani journalists attend a candlelight vigil to observe World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2019, in Karachi, Pakistan. In August, the US stopped payment of US$300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan for not taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a Taliban-affiliated group that is accused of planning and carrying out attacks on civilians, government officials, and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Media outlets came under pressure from authorities to avoid reporting on several issues, including criticism of government institutions and the judiciary. GEO TV, a private television channel, was forced off the air or had its audience’s access restricted as punishment for editorials criticizing the government. Pakistani law enforcement agencies were responsible for human rights violations, including detention without charge and extrajudicial killings. In July, police in Sahiwal district, Punjab, found the bodies of two transgender women who had been tortured to death. According to the organization Sahil, more than 10 cases of child sexual abuse are reported daily across Pakistan. PAKISTAN 2 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2019 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults; and the use of forced or compulsory child labor. However, Pakistan’s penal code criminalizes same-sex sexual conduct, placing men who have sex with men and transgender women at risk of police abuse, and other violence and discrimination. According to the local group Trans Action, 479 attacks against transgender women were reported in Khyber-Pakhunkhwa province in 2018. Denouncing the attack on Pakistan’s minority Ahmadi community, international human rights groups - Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)- on Thursday urged the Imran Khan-led government to 'urgently and impartially investigate a surge in violent attacks on members of the Ahmadiyya religious community'. Child sexual abuse remains disturbingly common in Pakistan with 141 cases reported in just Lahore, Punjab, in the first six months of 2018. Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won the highest number of seats in parliamentary elections in July, and Khan took office as prime minister in August. The law grants individuals the right to self-identify as male, female, or a blend of genders, and to have that identity registered on all official documents, including National Identification Cards, passports, driver's licenses, and education certificates. In July, the Supreme Court of Pakistan held that in cases of acid attacks, a mercy petition filed by the victim forgiving the perpetrator cannot be allowed because it constitutes “extreme cruelty.”. Those on death row are often from the most marginalized sections of society. The rape of a 6-year-old girl in Sukkur district, Sindh, was confirmed by a medical report on August 10. They were effectively excluded from participating in the 2018 parliamentary elections: to vote, Ahmadis are required to declare they are not Muslims, which many see as a renunciation of their faith. Human Rights Watch | 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor | New York, NY 10118-3299 USA | t 1.212.290.4700 Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in … In March, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted the outcome of Pakistan’s third Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which was conducted in November 2017. Pakistan’s media operated in a climate of fear that impeded coverage of abuses by both government security forces and extremist armed groups. In October, Pakistan’s Supreme Court quashed the conviction and ordered the release of 47-year-old Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman from a village in Punjab province who had been on death row for eight years. A faction of the Taliban claimed responsibility, media reported. On the same day, a suicide attack claimed by ISIS in Orakzai tribal district killed at least 33 people. On April 30, two unidentified assailants killed a female polio worker in Chaman, Balochistan. In several cases, government regulatory agencies blocked cable operators from broadcasting networks that had aired critical programs. Pakistan failed to enact a law criminalizing torture despite Pakistan’s obligation to do so under the Convention against Torture. Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in 90 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, Freedom of Expression and Attacks on Civil Society, Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Law Enforcement Abuses, As China’s Grip Tightens, Global Institutions Gasp, You Should Be Worrying about the Woman Shortage, burned down at least 12 schools in Diamer, 11 cases of child sexual abuse are reported daily across Pakistan, Zainab Ansari was among the dozen children to be murdered in Kasur district, Punjab in 2018, police identified a gang of child sex abusers. His family claimed Ayubi, who had a mental health condition, had been tortured to death by the police. Our researchers investigate human rights crises in some 90 countries around the world. According to local groups, at least 65 transgender women have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since 2015. Violence against women and girls—including rape, so-called honor killings, acid attacks, domestic violence, and forced marriage—remains a serious problem. In May, an estimated 1,500 farmers walked 140 km from the Indus Delta region to Thatta, Sindh, demanding that the government d… Scores of civilians were killed in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other armed groups. By Vatican News. Since Pakistan was elected to the Human Rights Council in 2017, it has generally failed to take a strong stance on serious human rights situations. The vaccination campaign resumed after the government launched an awareness campaign and asked social media platforms to remove anti-vaccine content. Sajid Masih alleged that the police torture he endured while being held led him to attempt suicide, by jumping out of the interrogation room window. They face increasing social discrimination as militant groups and the Islamist political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) accuse them of “posing as Muslims.” The Pakistan penal code continues to treat “posing as Muslims” by Ahamdis as a criminal offense. On January 19, the police in Sahiwal district, Punjab killed four members of a single family including a teenage girl in an operation police claimed was targeting a militant leader. Human Rights Watch said in its report released in 2014 that "Violence against women and girls – including rape, Honor killings, Acid attacks, Domestic violence and Forced marriage all remain serious problems in Pakistan. The Pakistan Supreme Court had acquitted Aasia in October 2018, but she had remained in custody due to nationwide protests by religious groups. Human Rights Watch research found girls miss school for reasons including, lack of schools, costs associated with studying, child marriage, harmful child labor, and gender discrimination. The Pakistani government rejected a large number of key recommendations that states made to it during the UPR. After Qandeel’s murder, the parliament passed a law closing the pardon loophole used by families to protect perpetrators. Authorities do not allow independent monitoring of trials in military courts and many defendants are denied the right to a fair trial. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Human Rights: ‘Macron is doing to Muslims what the Nazis ( AND ISLAM) did to the Jews’ Grand Mufti of Jerusalem commanded 3 volunteer islamic Waffen SS Divisions to help Hitler murdering Bosnian and Serbian Jews and Christians. The Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al Qaeda, and their affiliates carried out suicide bombings and other indiscriminate attacks against security personnel that caused hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries during the year. االسلام عليڪم اسين سڀ ملي جھلي ڪري ڪنھن به مزلوم جي مدد ڪيون انساني حق بڻجي ٿو خداجي راھ ۾ انسان جي مدد ڪيو In June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released the first-ever report by the United Nations on human rights in Kashmir. The Pakistani government did not amend or repeal blasphemy law provisions that provide a pretext for violence against religious minorities, as well as arbitrary arrests and prosecution. A climate of fear continues to impede media coverage of abuses both by government security forces and militant groups. Justice Tahira Safdar was appointed as the chief justice of Balochistan High Court, becoming the first woman ever appointed chief justice of a high court in Pakistan. The government used the “Regulation of INGOs in Pakistan” policy to impede the registration and functioning of international humanitarian and human rights groups. The event was organized by Ziauddin University (ZU) in connection with the International Human Rights Day. Despite the many downfalls on human rights for women, there was an increase of 3.8 million women able to vote in the most recent election compared to 2013. Pakistan’s penal code criminalizes same-sex sexual conduct, placing men who have sex with men and transgender women at risk of police abuse, and other violence and discrimination. Pakistani activists estimate that there are about 1,000 “honor” killings every year. In May, Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman who had spent eight years on death row for blasphemy, was released and allowed to rejoin her family in Canada. The government cracked down on members and supporters of political parties. There was a lack of government accountability, and abuses often went unpunished, In January, the rape and murder of 7-year-old Zainab Ansari in Kasur, Punjab, led to nationwide outrage and prompted the government to promise action. Media outlets came under pressure from authorities against criticizing the government. In April, a tailor in Taxila, Punjab, was arrested after local traders and religious leaders accused him of blasphemy. Pakistan said the level of support for its candidacy reflected the confidence of the international community in its human rights credentials. The Pakistan Broadcasters Association, a private industry association, claimed that the channels were taken off air without giving them a reason or a hearing. In February, Patras Masih, 18, and Sajid Masih, 24, were charged with blasphemy in Lahore. On April 23 and April 24, police officers protecting polio workers were gunned down in Khyber Pakhtukhwa. The militant group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. In September, the new Imran Khan government appointed Atif Mian, a prominent academic belonging to the Ahmadiyya community, to join the government as economic adviser and then, almost immediately after, asked him to step down after the TLP and other Islamist groups objected to his appointment because of his religion. However, strikes primarily targeting law enforcement officials and religious minorities killed hundreds of people. While there may be progress budding in regard to human rights in Pakistan, the road to completely improved human rights will be long and difficult. Pakistan has more than 4,600 prisoners on death row, one of the world’s largest populations facing execution. Parliament passed a comprehensive transgender rights bill in 2018. Razi was subsequently released. QUETTA: Pakistan should “urgently act” to protect Shia Muslims from rising sectarian attacks that have killed hundreds this year, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. Violence against transgender and intersex women in Pakistan continues. The provisions of Pakistan’s penal code, which perpetuate discrimination against the Ahmadis, a religious minority, remain unchanged. Zaman was released after three days. According to the organization Sahil, an average of 11 cases of child sexual abuse are reported daily across Pakistan. Several members of the political opposition were imprisoned on what they say are politically-motivated charges, raising fair trial concerns. In August, militants attacked and burned down at least 12 schools in Diamer district of Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. The death penalty is mandatory for blasphemy, and 40 people remained on death row at time of writing. Imdad Ali and Kaniz Fatima, however, remained on death row at time of writing. Durrani survived. In May, then-Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot in an assassination attempt by an individual affiliated with an anti-blasphemy group at an election rally in Narowal district, Punjab. During counterterrorism operations, Pakistani security forces often are responsible for serious human rights violations including torture, enforced disappearances, detention without charge, and extrajudicial killings, according to Pakistan human rights defenders and defense lawyers. Members of the Pashtun Tahhaffuz Movement (PTM) held protests demanding accountability for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Pakistan has not banned the use of schools for military purposes, or endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration as recommended by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2017. The government has done little to stop such forced marriages. However, in September 2017, it led Organisation for Islamic Cooperation member stat… Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack. ... More than 10 cases of child abuse are reported daily in Pakistan. A spate of attacks in April resulted in the government temporarily suspending the polio immunization campaign throughout the country. Over 5 million primary school-age children in Pakistan are out of school, most of them girls. On November 23, gunmen attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi, killing four people, including two police officers. Human Rights Watch: Pakistan - Investigate 'Disappearance' of Activist. While numerous cases of violence against women and girls highlighted the difficulty survivors face getting justice, authorities succeeded in enforcing some key reforms. Historically tense relations between Pakistan and India deteriorated further following a February suicide bomb attack on a convoy of security vehicles in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. In August, in an important enforcement of laws to prosecute so-called “honor killings,” the parents of Qandeel Baloch, a Pakistani social media celebrity who was murdered by her brothers in July 2016, were denied their request to “pardon” the perpetrators. Zainab Ansari was among the dozen children to be murdered in Kasur district, Punjab in 2018. However, in September 2017, it led Organisation for Islamic Cooperation member states at the council in expressing concerns about the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya by the Myanmar military. Women, religious minorities, and transgender people face violent attacks, discrimination, and government persecution, with authorities failing to provide adequate protection or hold perpetrators accountable. The government continues to muzzle dissenting voices in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and media on the pretext of national security. Attacks by Islamist militants resulted in fewer deaths in Pakistan in 2018 than in recent years. Human Rights Watch research found girls miss school for reasons including lack of schools, costs associated with studying, child bearing, and gender discrimination. On July 10, Haroon Bilour, a senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), was killed along with at least 20 others in a suicide bombing targeting his election meeting in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. A forensic report subsequently corroborated the torture claims. A report by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan found that at least 1,000 girls belonging to Christian and Hindu communities are forced to marry Muslim men every year. On April 18, unidentified assailants forced 14 passengers to disembark from a passenger bus on the Makran Coastal Highway and then executed them. They also carried out unlawful attacks targeting civilians. In May, Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed on a US$6 billion bailout package for Pakistan. Human Rights Watch | 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor | New York, NY 10118-3299 USA | t 1.212.290.4700 Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in … As Ali Dayan Hasan, the Pakistan director of Human Rights Watch, explained: “Militant attacks on the Shia have occurred with increasing ferocity while the security forces have looked on helplessly. Human rights violations in the Balochistan province of Pakistan have drawn concern in the international community, being described by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as having reached epidemic proportions. In January, a transgender woman was killed in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after being attacked on her way back from a music concert. The Taliban and other armed militants killed and injured hundreds of people in a failed effort to disrupt the elections. Pakistan and China deepened extensive economic and political ties in 2019, and work continued on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a project consisting of construction of roads, railways, and energy pipelines. Prime Minister Khan visited the United States, the country’s largest development and military donor, in July, during which he pledged to facilitate the Afghan peace process. 570 likes. HUMAN Rights WATCH Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan. Members of the Ahmadiyya religious community continue to be a major target for prosecutions under blasphemy laws, as well as specific anti-Ahmadi laws across Pakistan. Pakistani transgender people and civil society activists in Peshawar condemn the August 16, 2018 fatal shooting of a transgender woman, August 20, 2018. According to media reports, at least 66 women were murdered in Faisalabad district in the first six months of 2018, the majority in the name of “honor.”. 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