Pakistan’s human rights crisis deepened spectacularly in 2024. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has published a scathing report, detailing widespread abuse, repression, and institutional breakdown. From smothering freedom of expression to conducting extrajudicial killings, the state has ramped up its repression of dissent.
Simultaneously, marginalised groups continue to be at risk, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) becomes ever more volatile, and Balochistan continues to struggle under military rule. All this while Pakistan indulges in diplomatic sabre-rattling with India—while it is unable to repair its crumbling internal framework.
Democracy and Freedom Crackdown
HRCP initiated the report with grave dismay over Pakistan’s disputed February 2024 general elections. The government enabled non-democratic forces to dominate post-election laws, ramming through blemished legislation unchallenged. HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt pointed to an increase in state-sponsored violence. Police agencies carried out 4,864 enforced encounters in Punjab and Sindh alone.
Additionally, a minimum of 379 enforced disappearance cases took place. Security agencies also killed two suspected blasphemers without trial, violating both domestic and foreign legal norms.
Hina Jilani, the Co-chair of the HRCP, squarely condemned enforced disappearances. She stated that no conflict or insurgency ever warrants such inhuman actions. In spite of growing public indignation, the government keeps using fear to muzzle dissenting voices.
PoK: Political Repression, Abductions, and Instability
In PoK, nonviolent demonstrations against spiraling flour and electricity prices turned instantly into bloodshed. Not only did the state arrest demonstrators, but they also used their weapons to kill. These skirmishes resulted in a minimum of four fatalities. A prison breakout in Poonch—19 prisoners escaped—also exposed shocking shortcomings in the security machinery in the region.
The authorities also abducted Kashmiri reporter Ahmad Farhad and Neelum Valley’s Mudassar Khan, igniting national interest. Their abductions form part of the increasing number of unaccounted civilians in PoK.
During 2024, the state stepped up persecution of the Ahmadiyya group. Officials desecrated their places of worship and did little to stop violent attacks. Since Pakistan declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974, the group has been subjected to unremitting discrimination. This year, their targeting was more flagrant and institutional.
Balochistan: Militarised Poverty and Media Suppression
Balochistan is still a besieged region. The report revealed widespread extrajudicial executions, tight movement restrictions, and a shocking militarization of civilian life. Dr. Sabiha Baloch of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee pointed out that 80% of the population is still poor despite the province’s bountiful natural resources. Education is scarce, and security checkpoints are ubiquitous in public life. In towns such as Mashkay and Awaran, even locals have to show ID cards to be able to move around.
Killing of journalists in Mastung and Khuzdar also reflected on the declining space for freedom of the press. Bizarrely, attackers brutally murdered the Khuzdar Press Club president on World Press Freedom Day. In parallel, the report indicated that polio cases were increasing—an obvious reflection of state-level neglect in health.
Militancy Surges, Judiciary Crumbles
In 2024, Pakistan faced 1,166 terror attacks, resulting in 2,546 deaths—a 66% increase from the previous year. The HRCP stated that the government has failed to protect its citizens, leaving them increasingly vulnerable to extremist violence.
The judiciary is still overwhelmed by more than 2.4 million backlog cases swamping the system. Cramped prisons operating at 228% capacity complicate the problem further. Defeated HRCP chairperson Munizae Jahangir has issued a caution that legal responsibility is disintegrating at alarming speeds.
This point was supplemented by Amnesty International as it further emphasized that desperation economics, unemployment, and official brutality are steering society toward disintegration.
Freedom of the Press and Internet Under Attack
Media freedom disintegrated further. The HRCP recorded 162 assaults on journalists, with six of them being killed. At the same time, the government blocked X (formerly Twitter), censoring online dissent. In addition, it employed surveillance technologies and detained citizens for private WhatsApp messages.
Governments used blasphemy laws more to intimidate and imprison critics. In urban areas such as Swat, Quetta, and Sargodha, blasphemy-related mob lynchings increased, reflecting the mounting religious intolerance.
Repression at Home, Pretension Abroad
While Pakistan pretends on the international stage—particularly in conflicts with India—it still implodes internally. From PoK to Balochistan, human rights abuses are now the norm. The HRCP’s 2024 report reveals not only individual atrocities but a governance-wide rot.
Unless Pakistan mends these internal fissures, its foreign diplomacy will be empty and performative.
