The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed deep concern over the steadily shrinking space for human rights defence work in the country.
“In the past few months, HRCP has faced a series of arbitrary, illegal and unjustified actions that have impeded the organisation’s ability to carry out its mandate,” said HRCP’s chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt in a statement on Wednesday.
HRCP’s work is based on the rights of all citizens and persons, as enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan and the country’s international commitments and obligations.
“We note with disappointment that persons claiming to represent the security apparatus have obstructed the organisation of HRCP events by informing either the venue or our staff that a no-objection certificate was required for indoor meetings, although this is not a legal requirement,” the commission said in a statement.
“Two recent examples include a high-level consultation in Islamabad on regions facing militancy and terrorism and their impact on human rights, and a roundtable in Gilgit on local communities’ right to natural resources. Ironically, both the relevant legislators and government departments had confirmed their participation on both occasions,” it added.
Moreover, there have also been incidents across the country where our membership and staff faced harassment and intimidation. For the first time in HRCP’s decades-long history, its chairperson was taken in for questioning by the police in Karachi.
“We have reason to believe that other actions are not merely coincidental. These include an attempt to seal our office premises in Lahore in 2024, the removal of the office’s electricity meter, and a bank’s refusal to release our funds, citing a State Bank of Pakistan directive, the existence of which was categorically denied by the latter in writing when asked by a court,” the commission added.
They also urged the authorities to respect the fundamental freedoms of association, assembly and expression, and to ensure that human rights defenders can operate without fear of reprisal or undue interference.
Civil society organisations such as HRCP are essential if Pakistan wishes to develop into a state that upholds the rights of all its citizens and remains responsible for their wellbeing. “More broadly, human rights work helps create a more tolerant and inclusive society — something that Pakistan is in dire need of at present,” it said.