The United States has said that the human rights situation in Pakistan under the current government remains a cause of concern.
The US State Department said this in its report assessing the human rights situation in the country under the current ruling coalition government.
The report discussed the human rights abuses in the country backed by the government. According to Dawn, the report mentions that the US State Department’s monitors received authentic reports of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and degrading punishment by the government or its agents. The report also talks about inhuman conditions in Pakistani prisons while noting the arbitrary detention of political and other prisoners.
The report also called out the government for imposing restrictions on media and freedom of speech. Journalists were subjected to enforced disappearance, violence, arrests, and censorship, the report adds.
The report also draws attention to the country’s strict blasphemy laws, while maintaining that Pakistan has serious government corruption.
Regarding gender-based violence, the report states that there is a lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence. Crimes targeting members for their gender, race, ethnicity, and religion are common since there is no accountability.
The report acknowledged that the elections held in 2022 in most constituencies were free and fair. However, the report noted that security agencies and separatist groups in Balochistan harassed political organisations.
The report also refers to claims made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s claims that the ruling coalition government obstructed his protest rallies in 2022.
