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ISLAMABAD: Upholding the conviction of a man charged with raping a 20-year-old woman, the Islamabad High Court judge Justice Babar Sattar outlined several principles about consent and social stigma in cases of rape and sexual assault. The judge ruled in the verdict that consent must be free and voluntary and that "mere submission" due to fear or coercion does not constitute consent. "Mere submission in consequence of force or threats is not consent," the verdict said. "The relevant time for consent is the time when sexual intercourse occurs. Consent, previously given,...

Journalists across Pakistan are out on the streets protesting against The Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act (PECA) 2025 and petitions against it are piling up in courts. The draconian law first introduced in 2016 by the Pakistan Muslim...

Journalists across Pakistan are out on the streets protesting against The Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act (PECA) 2025 and petitions against it are...

Cholistan, a vast desert in Pakistan’s Punjab province, covers an area of 6.6 million acres and spans the districts of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, and Rahim...

This report is part of Dissent Today’s special series documenting violence and alleged irregularities during Pakistan’s 2024 general elections.  Balochistan, which is Pakistan's largest province, is ironically its poorest. It remains a hotbed of violence and discontent. On the eve of Election Day on February 8, 2024, two bomb blasts...

بلوچ وائس فار جسٹس نے تربت میں بالاچ بلوچ سمیت چار نوجوانوں کو جعلی مقابلے میں ماورائے عدالت قتل کرنے سمیت حالیہ واقعات کے حوالے سے اقوام متحدہ کے خصوصی نمائندے، ایمنسٹی انٹرنیشنل اور یورپی پارلیمنٹ کو خطوط لکھ کر جعلی مقابلے جیسے انسانیت سوز واقعات کی تدارک کے...