Press release Government must withdraw decision to deport refugees by 1 November Islamabad, 18 October 2023. At a high-profile consultation held earlier today, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called on the government to immediately withdraw its decision to expel undocumented foreigners by 1 November. The decision does not fall within the mandate

Press release Caretaker government must end pre-poll political victimization Lahore, 25 September 2023. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) takes strong exception to Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar’s claim that fair elections are possible without senior PTI leaders, including the chairperson Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in a graft case, and other

Press release HRCP conference calls for the empowerment of marginalised groups in political and electoral arenas 19 September 2023. A national conference held by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in partnership with the Friedrich Naumman Foundation for Freedom (FNF), has called for extensive reforms to improve the political and electoral participation of

Press release HRCP denied permission to hold demonstration for Cholistanis’ land rights Lahore, 11 September 2023. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has been denied permission by the local civil administration in Bahawalpur to hold a peaceful demonstration and press conference to express its concerns over the allotment of land to nonresidents in Cholistan—one

Press release Dire need for better governance and accountability HRCP launches fact-finding report on rights violations in northern Sindh Karachi, 8 September 2023. In its fact-finding report titled Northern Sindh: In Search of Solutions launched in Karachi today, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed deep concern over the human rights situation

Press release Uncertainty around elections must end immediately Lahore, 3 September 2023. The governing Council of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), on concluding a meeting earlier today, has expressed immense concern over the uncertainty surrounding the general elections. HRCP insists that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announce an election schedule promptly

Press release HRCP calls for extensive electoral reforms Lahore, 2 September 2023. At a seminar held earlier today, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) presented the findings of a discussion paper calling for extensive electoral reforms. Titled Making Elections Credible: The Need for Electoral Reforms, the paper argues that such reforms are critical

Press release Next elected government must not procrastinate on enforced disappearances Lahore, 30 August 2023. Marking International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expresses grave concern over the lack of progress not only in tracing victims but also holding perpetrators accountable. Despite repeated calls for action from civil society, including victims’ families,

Press release HRCP conference takes stock of the 1973 Constitution at 50 Islamabad, 28 August 2023. At a conference organised to mark 50 years of the 1973 Constitution, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)’s secretary-general Harris Khalique said that this was an opportunity to take stock of the Constitution as a social contract

Press release HRCP fact-finding mission to Jaranwala finds local Muslim religious leaders complicit in attacks Lahore, 25 August 2023. According to a fact-finding mission initiated by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), at least 24 churches and several dozen smaller chapels as well as scores of houses in Jaranwala were torched and looted