HRCP recently released its annual State of Human Rights report, marking 2024 for growing instances of state repression of dissenting voices, deteriorating security, and systemic neglect of minorities and refugees.
LAHORE, April 30, 2025: An increasing reliance on majoritarian laws, clampdowns on dissent, and shrinking space for civil liberties – three major types of human rights violations, which were noted by the State of Human Rights 2024 report released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), expressing alarm over rising violence, overcrowded prisons, and impunity in cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
The annual report was released on April 30, marking democratic erosion, worsening law and order situation, and systemic neglect of vulnerable groups as some of the key rights concerns dominating 2024.
Governance and legal overreach
One of the most pressing concerns was the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment without broad political consensus, raising questions over judicial independence and executive overreach. Laws such as the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024 in Islamabad and the Punjab Defamation Act 2024 were seen as attempts to muzzle public expression under the guise of regulating protests and curbing ‘fake news’.
A controversial amendment to the Elections Act, which bars independent lawmakers from joining political parties post-election, was also flagged as anti-democratic. The HRCP criticized these developments as evidence of a weakened participatory process and shrinking space for opposition.
Judicial backlog and rule of law
The report counted over 57,000 cases pending in the Supreme Court and a staggering 2.4 million cases across all courts. Pakistan scored just 0.38 on the World Justice Project’s fundamental rights index—far below the global average of 0.56.A more positive development was the Lahore High Court struck down a federal policy that had imposed strict regulations on foreign funding for local NGOs.
Death penalty and prison conditions
The report noted a sharp rise in death sentences, with 174 handed down in 2024 – up from 102 the previous year. Over 6,161 prisoners remained on death row, many of them for decades, especially in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Two people were also sentenced to death under the controversial cybercrime law for blasphemy-related online content.
Pakistan’s jails were found to be severely overcrowded, housing over 153,000 prisoners against a sanctioned capacity of just over 67,000 – a 228% overcrowding rate. Nearly three-fourths of the over 23,000 Pakistanis jailed abroad were in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Security and sectarian violence
The law and order situation significantly deteriorated, with over 2,546 people killed in 1,166 incidents of terrorism and counter-terrorism. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan bore the brunt of militant violence, accounting for 95% of attacks and 97.5% of fatalities.
Sectarian tensions flared in Kurram, where 250 people were killed in tribal rivalries, while urban crime surged in Karachi, which saw over 47,000 reported incidents in the first nine months of 2024. HRCP also documented at least 24 vigilante killings, mostly in Sindh.
Freedoms under siege
HRCP criticized continued curbs on peaceful assembly, citing frequent use of Section 144 in Islamabad and violent crackdowns on protests in Chaman, Mastung, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and against the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). In one notable case, participants of the Sindh Rawadari March were detained and reportedly mistreated by police. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) was also banned ahead of its scheduled national jirga, raising further questions about the state’s tolerance for political dissent.
The state of press freedom remains precarious. At least 162 attacks on journalists were reported, including the killing of six reporters. X (formerly Twitter) remained banned, while journalists like Asad Ali Toor and Matiullah Jan were arrested or abducted in connection with their reporting.
Marginalized groups in crisis
The report painted a dire picture for religious minorities, particularly the Ahmadiyya community, which reported desecration of 319 graves, 35 attacks on worship sites, and at least six killings. Over 1,200 people faced blasphemy charges in 2024, many of them lured through online honey-traps.
Women, children and transgender persons
Gender-based violence remained pervasive, with at least 405 women killed in honour crimes and over 4,175 rape cases reported. However, there were small signs of progress, including the launch of virtual women’s police stations and progressive rulings on child custody and women’s property rights.
Children remained vulnerable to abuse, forced labour and early marriage, with over 1,600 cases of child violence documented in the first half of the year alone. Air pollution posed an added risk, with 11 million children under five exposed to hazardous air in Punjab.
Transgender persons continued to face violence, with 13 cases of sexual assault and one honour killing reported. A landmark appointment of a transgender deputy director at Pakistan’s first Transgender Protection Centre in Islamabad was noted as a positive step.
The Afghan refugee crisis
Pakistan’s ongoing repatriation of Afghan refugees drew sharp criticism for violating international standards. Balochistan saw the highest rate of arrests and detentions of Afghan nationals, sparking rights concerns amid resource constraints in host communities.
Education and labour rights
Despite a declared “education emergency” by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, over 26 million children remain out of school. Labour rights also remained neglected, with poor enforcement of the minimum wage and widespread fatal accidents in mines and sanitation sectors.
HRCP called for stronger protections for contract workers and emphasized the urgent need for a living wage amid inflationary pressures.
Source – voicepk.net
