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The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an autonomous civil rights organisation, has issued a warning that its functioning is being hindered by pressure from the Pakistani government.
"In recent months, HRCP has encountered a range of arbitrary, unlawful, and unjust measures that have obstructed the organisation's ability to fulfil its mission," the commission stated in a release earlier in July," as reported by DW News. Harris Khalique, the secretary-general of HRCP, mentioned that the organisation is experiencing "unprecedented pressure." "Officials restrict us from organising events and create interruptions. They have closed the HRCP's Lahore office, frozen our financial accounts under the pretext of our involvement in commercial activities, and have cut off our electricity supply while issuing inflated bills," he noted, according to DW News. Events planned in several cities faced interruptions, and staff received threatening phone calls cautioning them against discussing matters deemed sensitive. "We oppose both violence and militancy. Individuals stating they represent security agencies, along with those identifying as officials from the Interior Ministry, are threatening our female employees," Khalique stated. HRCP was co-founded in 1987 by the late lawyer and activist Asma Jahangir, former Supreme Court Justice Dorab Patel, and former Air Force Chief of Staff Zafar Chaudhry. Since then, it has become the leading human rights organisation in Pakistan. The HRCP has consistently acted as an independent and trustworthy advocate for civil liberties, both domestically and internationally. In light of the pressures from authorities, the HRCP has expressed deep concern about the rapidly diminishing space for human rights advocacy in Pakistan, as reported by DW News. The security landscape in Pakistan has worsened in recent years, with frequent militant attacks occurring. In the southwest, security forces are engaged in a prolonged conflict with Baloch separatist militants. Hina Jilani, a human rights advocate and member of the HRCP council, remarked, "The government is using strategies to silence the activities of the group. Our events are being impeded, and there are attempts to enact laws that could affect our finances, compromising our ability to perform our work," as quoted by DW. Jilani provided two instances of the government imposing bureaucratic obstacles that prevented an HRCP community outreach event from being held in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, as well as a roundtable discussion in Islamabad focused on the human rights situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Jilani expressed that the government crackdown endangers the "HRCP's independence and poses a serious threat to the human rights of the Pakistani people." The human rights landscape in Pakistan is characterised by insufficient judicial safeguards and rising authoritarianism. According to Amnesty International's 2024 report on Pakistan, authorities have "weaponised laws" concerning defamation and hate speech as the security situation has deteriorated alongside militant attacks. "Enforced disappearances have continued unabated, targeting journalists, activists, students, comedians, political adversaries, and families of political opponents," stated the Amnesty report, as revealed by DW News. (ANI)
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