HRCP highlights sharp rights decline

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan's human rights landscape deteriorated sharply in 2025, with shrinking civic space, mounting pressure on the judiciary, and worsening security conditions, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said on Monday as it released its annual assessment.

The report, titled "State of Human Rights in 2025", paints a bleak picture of institutional decline, warning that restrictions on dissent, expanded state powers, and legal curbs on expression have collectively narrowed democratic space and weakened fundamental freedoms.

Launched in Islamabad, the report was presented in the presence of HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt, former chairperson Hina Jilani, co-chair Munizae Jahangir, vice-chair Nasreen Azhar and Secretary General Harris Khalique.

Speaking to reporters, Butt described the findings in stark terms. "It is not a report, it is a charge sheet. In 2025, as many as 273 persons faced enforced disappearance. Around 13 were traced from state agencies' centres, but others are unknown," he said.

He added that thousands of individuals had remained missing for years, stressing that if anyone had committed a crime, they must be produced before a court of law.

Khalique said the report documents multiple constitutional and human rights violations, all of which were on record.

The report flags a pronounced crackdown on freedom of expression, particularly the right to question authority and demand accountability, noting that this suppression had far-reaching implications for the rule of law and protection of fundamental rights.