Photo courtesy HRCP
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday declared there is “little evidence” to indicate the upcoming general elections will be “free, fair or credible.”
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, members of the rights watchdog said they were deeply concerned by the overall deterioration in human rights over the past year. “Foremost is the blatant manipulation of the electoral landscape in which one political party among others has been singled out for systematic dismemberment,” read a statement issued after the media interaction. Stressing that it did not condone violence—a reference to the May 9 riots—the HRCP said the state’s response had been disproportionate and unlawful.
“This has assumed a familiar pattern, including arrests of party workers and supporters, lack of transparency concerning the charges involved, crackdowns on party workers’ right to peaceful assembly, enforced disappearances, obvious signs of pressure on party leaders to resign or exit politics altogether and, most recently, the large-scale rejection of candidates’ nomination papers,” it said, outlining the crackdown against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after the events of May 9, 2023.
During the press conference, the HRCP also slammed violations to the rights of vulnerable groups. “The wanton destruction of Christian and Ahmadiyya sites of worship—with severe damage caused to over 30 churches in Jaranwala in a single day in August 2023—and increasing use of the blasphemy laws against religious minorities has left these communities fearful for their lives and livelihoods, much less their right to profess and practice their faith,” it said, calling for judicial inquiry into the Jaranwala incident as per the legitimate demand of the Christian community.
“HRCP also calls for the immediate implementation of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment with respect to religious minorities’ rights,” it added.
On the ongoing repatriation drive against undocumented migrants, particularly Afghans, the rights body said it was in violation of international law and without consideration for their prospects of safety in their country of origin. This, it regretted, had put many women, children, elderly and disabled Afghan nationals at risk.
With respect to deteriorating law and order, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the HRCP said the government must ensure police have necessary training and resources protect citizens’ lives and property. “The state must not allow militants to gain strength through opaque backdoor negotiations as happened last year. Additionally, the merger and mainstreaming of former FATA is an achievement that must not be reversed,” it added.
The rights body also criticized the state’s clampdown on dissent, noting it had further constricted civic spaces in the country, especially when people must be allowed to express their will freely ahead of a national election. “The recent crackdown on Baloch women protesters demanding an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings was a black mark on the state—such repressive tactics need to end. HRCP expresses its solidarity with the Baloch women protesting outside the National Press Club and demands that the state produce all those missing in a court of law,” it added.
“HRCP strongly believes that these concerns must be tackled as a matter of priority by an elected government that comes to power in a transparent manner, functions independently of external pressure, and commits to protecting and upholding the rights of all citizens and residents,” it stressed.