Idris Khattak likely forcibly disappeared Islamabad, 20 November. It has now been a week since human rights defender and political activist Idris Khattak was abducted, allegedly by unidentified persons in Swabi. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strong reason to believe that this abduction is a possible enforced disappearance, given that the

Anti-torture legislation long overdue Islamabad, 8 November. On concluding a national consultation held in collaboration with the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said that a comprehensive legislative framework to eradicate torture and all forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment is long overdue. Having

State must respect teachers’ right to livelihood Islamabad, 25 October. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemns the use of force by the police to disperse a peaceful protest by teachers at D Chowk, Islamabad, on 23 October. HRCP’s fact-finding team was told that a large police contingent raided the protest camp and

Press release] Government becoming increasingly opaque Islamabad, 24 October. Speaking at the seminar on ‘Reclaiming Civic Spaces in Pakistan’ organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) today, Honorary Spokesperson I. A. Rehman has said that the government is becoming opaque rather than being transparent in its decision making and governance. On the

HRCP condemns campus surveillance Islamabad/Quetta, 16 October. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is concerned over allegations that elements associated with the administration at Balochistan University use campus surveillance videos – including those filmed by ‘secret’ cameras – to harass and blackmail students. HRCP’s recent fact-finding mission to Quetta found an alarming level

Government must protect rights of visually impaired workers Lahore, 15 October. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) supports the ongoing protest by visually impaired persons at Charing Cross in Lahore. The protestors, comprising provincial government employees, say they have been working on a daily wage basis for the last five years, which barely

Recover journalist Mudassar Naru Islamabad, 11 October. The case of the disappearance of Mudassar Mahmood Naru, writer, poet and journalist, has caused great concern, not only to his family but civil society and the literary community at large. Three literary bodies have passed resolutions concerning his case. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) endorses

Joint press release Pakistan: Poor and marginalised suffer disproportionately from capital punishment [Report] Paris-Lahore, 8 October 2019. In a new report issued today, FIDH and its member organisation, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), detail the systemic bias faced by the poor and marginalised with regards to the death penalty in Pakistan. The

Role of Parliament must not diminish Lahore, 6 October. The Council of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has issued the following statement on concluding its biannual meeting: ‘We are seriously concerned by the government’s recent attempts to undermine the political opposition. There are alarming signs that the role of Parliament is receding:

60 days of living hell in Kashmir Islamabad, 5 October. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemns the failure of the Indian government to lift the lockdown on some ten million Kashmiris, who continue to face gross human rights violations at the hands of the state. It has now been two months