Amnesty International highlights human rights violations in Pakistan ahead of UN review
Amnesty International announced on Wednesday that Pakistan is set for its second review by the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva on October 17 and 18, emphasizing that "human rights violations and abuses are still widespread."
This review falls under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Pakistan is a signatory, according to the rights organization's statement.
The organization highlighted several concerning issues reported in the past month, including two extrajudicial killings of blasphemy suspects by police, crackdowns on protests, the enactment of the restrictive Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, arbitrary detention and mass arrests of opposition workers and leaders, a ban on the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), and harassment of human rights defenders like Mahrang Baloch.
Amnesty noted that the review offers an opportunity for the Pakistgovernment to assess the state of human rights in the country and implement concrete measures to address the concerns raised.
On October 6, the government banned the PTM, citing threats to national peace and security. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the PTM was declared «unlawful» under Section 11B of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. A notification from the interior ministry stated that the PTM posed a «significant danger» to public order and safety, resulting in its inclusion in the First Schedule of the ATA as a proscribed organization.
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By — Gaurav Khera,
