Analysts and policy experts have dismissed the latest US State Department human rights report on Pakistan, calling it a selective interpretation that overlooks the country’s security challenges and reform measures.
The 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Pakistan, released on 12 August, flagged concerns over enforced disappearances, media restrictions, minority rights, and labour protections.
Experts argued that such assessments were increasingly being used to pressure vulnerable states rather than address ongoing crises in regions like Palestine and Kashmir. They stressed that measures in sensitive areas, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, were responses to persistent terrorist threats that had claimed many civilian and security lives. No nation, they said, would compromise public safety under such circumstances.
On enforced disappearances, they noted that many individuals had joined extremist groups, while genuine cases were handled through legal investigations by official commissions. They highlighted Pakistan’s anti-torture laws, judicial oversight, and institutional reforms aimed at preventing abuse. Independent media, they added, continued to operate, with courts reversing bans and protecting journalists.
Experts defended religious and blasphemy-related laws as safeguards for social harmony, stating that cases of misuse were prosecuted. They pointed to recent legislation such as the Christian and Sikh Marriage Acts as proof of commitment to minority rights.
Labour reforms, they said, included stronger inspections, broader union access, and measures against child marriage. Allegations of transnational repression were rejected as unfounded, with overseas operations described as targeting only recognised terrorist threats.
Citing Pakistan’s humanitarian record, they noted that the country had hosted over 2.3 million Afghan refugees for decades without any treaty obligation, calling it a global example of generosity.