Islamabad, April 17 (IANS) Protests have errupted in Pakistan’s Islamabad after civic authorities again launched demolition operations targetting informal settlements, including a predominantly Christian neighbourhood, even as various human rights groups criticised the action, a report has stated. Clashes between residents and officials took place in the Allama Iqbal Colony, also known as Sharper Colony, earlier this week when teams from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and police reached…
Latest Human Rights Commission of Pakistan News & Updates
Quetta, April 14 (IANS) At least 12 civilians, including women and children, were killed and three others severely injured in Balochistan’s Barkhan district during Pakistani military bombardment and shelling in the area, local media reported on Tuesday, citing sources.Reports suggest that unidentified armed men earlier launched an attack on Pakistani forces, killing 12 security personnel.Following the attack, Pakistani forces reportedly carried out a large-scale operation in the civilian areas…
Islamabad, April 10 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation on Friday condemned the custodial killing of a Christian man hours after Pakistani police arrested him on what it described as “fabricated” kidnapping charges. According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), police claimed that 42-year-old Iftikhar Masih, father of four children and a gardener at the University of Lahore, died by suicide inside the jail.However, his family rejected the account, alleging that Masih was tortured…
Quetta, April 9 (IANS) At least one young man was killed, and several women were injured in a drone strike carried out by Pakistani forces in the Mastung district of Balochistan, local media reported on Thursday. Citing reports, The Balochistan Post stated that Pakistani forces targeted a house in the Kurdgap area of Mastung with a drone, fatally injuring Abdul Samad, while women in the house were also wounded.Abdul was transferred to Quetta for medical treatment when he succumbed to his injurie…
Islamabad, March 31 (IANS) Highlighting the constraints being faced by Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab province, a recent report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has revealed that the civic space has been narrowed through bureaucratic, legal and financial pressures. “The need for regulation is neither new nor unreasonable. States are entitled to ensure transparency, financial accountability and compliance with the law. Yet, as the report…
Islamabad, March 30 (IANS) Human rights activists and civil society organisations have strongly condemned the planned demolition and forced eviction of residents in Allama Iqbal Colony, a 25-year-old predominantly Christian working-class settlement in Islamabad. The community now faces an imminent threat of clearance in the coming days, raising serious concerns over minority rights and displacement.Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), alongside the All Party Alliance for Katchi Abadis, th…
Islamabad, March 28 (IANS) The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concern over the continued shrinking of civic space and restrictions on rights-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across Punjab province, describing it as a symptom of the democratic backsliding that the country is currently experiencing.In its report titled ‘Regulation or Restriction?’, the HRCP documented that civil society organisations — particularly NGOs, which constitute a vital component of Pakis…
Geneva, March 26 (IANS) The Baloch National Movement (BNM) accused the Pakistani authorities of serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture across Balochistan, during the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.Addressing the session, Naseem Baloch, chairman of the BNM, stated that the European Union granted Pakistan special trade status under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) with the expectation th…
Islamabad, March 24 (IANS) A leading human rights group on Tuesday raised concern over the recent abduction of a 15-year-old Hindu girl in Pakistan’s Sindh province — underscoring the vulnerability of minority girls in the country.Citing family and community members, the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) stated that Miran Meghwar was allegedly kidnapped by two individuals identified as Tariq Kauri and Allah Dino Kauri from her home in Mirpurkhas, plunging her family into despair.The rights body…
Islamabad, March 11 (IANS) The local police authorities in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad arrested several ‘Aurat March’ activists earlier this week who had assembled near the National Press Club to demand gender justice on the eve of International Women’s Day. Even those who came to police station for getting information about detained participants were reportedly taken into custody. Such heavy-handedness showcases a troubling pattern in Pakistan, where the constitutional right to peaceful protes…