The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday launched its annual State of Human Rights in 2025 report, highlighting a severe contraction of civic space, erosion of judicial independence, and deepening insecurity in the country.
In a statement, the rights watchdog expressed alarm over deep suppression of the right to freedom of expression over the past year, particularly to question authority and demand accountability. This, it warned, carries far-reaching consequences for the rule of law and the protection of fundamental freedoms. Pakistan ranked 130th out of 143 countries in terms of enforcement of fundamental rights, says the report.
The report notes that legal and institutional mechanisms are employed increasingly to curb dissent, whether through amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act or sedition and anti-terrorism laws. Authorities, it warned, are using these laws to target journalists, political workers, activists, and lawyers, while reports of intimidation, enforced disappearances, and restrictions on movement have contributed to a climate of fear and self-censorship, limiting public discourse and obscuring human rights violations.
The HRCP particularly highlighted amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the federal and Balochistan levels, allowing law enforcers and even armed forces to detain any person for up to three months without charge or judicial oversight. This has expanded the scope for undermining fundamental rights of liberty, due process, and protection from arbitrary detention, it explained.
On the deterioration in judicial independence after the passage of the 27th Amendment, the report said several key court decisions of 2025 had further narrowed democratic space, raising serious concerns about due process and the separation of powers. It particularly cited validation for military trials of civilians and the denial of reserved seats to the PTI.
The HRCP said security challenges had compounded rights violations, disproportionately affecting Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. “Enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and collective punishments persisted, while vulnerable groups—including women, children, religious minorities, and transgender persons—continued to face violence and discrimination without adequate redress,” it said.
Miners and sanitation workers in particular remained vulnerable to accidents with little reported progress in improving their safety, it said, also pointing to climate-related disasters, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan, as requiring a long-term government strategy.
However, the report also acknowledges positive developments such as the passage of the National Commission for Minorities Act. Additionally, it said the Child Marriage Restraint acts for Islamabad Capital Territory and Balochistan were a step in the right direction for children’s rights, while court rulings advanced women’s rights in areas such as inheritance and marriage. Targeted welfare initiatives and institutional reforms at provincial levels also offered relief, but incrementally, it said.
Some stats
According to the report, lower courts issued 225 in 2025, up from 174 in 2024. It said the country saw 1,272 terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations during 2025, resulting in 3,417 deaths and 2,134 injuries. Karachi alone reported 64,000 criminal incidents, causing over 70 fatalities.
Across Pakistan, read the report, 1,696 suspected individuals were killed in 1,155 police encounters, most conducted by Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD). The CCD, it said, is alone responsible for the killing of 977 individuals in 1,128 reported cases.
The HRCP voiced concern over prison overcrowding, noting provincial jails with a capacity of 64,550 inmates are housing 110,402 prisoners. Meanwhile, it said, 738 Pakistani citizens remain incarcerated in India, while 257 Indian prisoners are incarcerated in Pakistan.
The report noted 273 new cases of enforced disappearances in 2025 though said the actual figures were likely higher.
It said 2025 saw Pakistan ranked 145th out of 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, while gender-based violence cases increased by 25% to 6,543, with Punjab accounting for 78% of cases. It said 470 women were killed in honor-related violence, along with 1,332 domestic violence-related murders and 2,912 additional violence cases. Additionally, there were 3,815 rape cases and 983 gang-rape incidents, as well as 2,586 cases of cyber harassment against women.
Violence against children also remained high, with more than 3,600 cases reported and 2,003 incidents of sexual abuse documented. Additionally, 1,107 kidnapping cases and 365 missing children cases were reported, while 53 cases of child marriage were recorded. The report further recorded 52 child abuse cases linked to pornography-related material.
The HRCP said 19 transgender persons were killed in 2025, two of them targeted with acid attacks. In labor-related concerns, it said 97 workers, including 52 miners and 13 sanitation workers, were killed or injured in workplace accidents.