Press release HRCP elects new council HRCP has elected a 31-member council for a three-year term (2023–26). Seasoned rights activist Asad Iqbal Butt was elected chairperson. Senior journalist and anchor Munizae Jahangir was elected co-chair, and veteran journalist and trade unionist Husain Naqi elected treasurer. The council also elected five vice-chairs: for Balochistan (Kashif

Press release HRCP deplores damage to democracy, calls for economic justice Lahore, 12 November 2023. On concluding its 37th annual general meeting, the general body of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its apprehension over the growing sense of powerlessness among ordinary people amid economic deprivation and unemployment. HRCP believes that

His Excellency Filippo Grandi United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 31 October 2023 Excellency, Re: Open letter calling for the protection of Afghan refugees in Pakistan The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is greatly concerned by the Pakistan government’s decision to expel all undocumented foreigners by 1 November 2023, the bulk of whom

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