Human Rights Commission of Pakistan

HRCP welcomes the Punjab Assembly’s passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026, setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage and criminalising underage marriage as a non-bailable offence. This is a significant step towards safeguarding children’s rights—one that now all provinces, barring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have taken. We urge the provincial government to ensure robust implementation such that union councils, registrars and law enforcement personnel to whom such cases are reported are held strictly accountable. Legislative progress must, however, be matched by social measures to end child marriage and uphold the interests of children across the country.

From Karachi to Turbat. Different journeys. A shared purpose. We organised a workshop in for lawyers, journalists, academics and minority rights activists from Sindh and Balochistan to come together to unpack what fundamental rights really mean, how the Constitution can be used to push for reform, and why building alliances with national human rights institutions matters now more than ever. @CanHCPakistan

🇵🇰 #CAT84: The CAT experts addressed numerous issues during their review of Pakistan, echoing the concerns of several NGOs. The experts urged #Pakistan to amend the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention & Punishment) Act 2022 to include a comprehensive definition of torture that aligns with the Convention Against Torture. The Act does not explicitly reference severe mental and psychological torture, or acknowledge torture to be a distinct and grievous act. These limits the scope and application of the Act, and may affect the domestic prosecution of such crimes. The experts also highlighted the potential threat of the 2023 Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, which allows the deportation of foreigners identified as illegal and unregistered, to the principle of non-refoulement, specifically for Afghan refugees. Since the plan’s implementation, the government reports that 30,000 Afghans have been deported, while over 600,000 Afghans have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan. However, according to the IOM and the UNHCR’s findings, there have been 2,154,205 returns to Afghanistan, of which 226,000 were deportations. The experts also received concerns that many “voluntary returns” are actually forced, or achieved by coercion, like through police abuse and extortion. #EndTorture #CATReview #HumanRights @IscanErdogan @ana_racu @ClaudeHellerR @jorgecontesse @UNHumanRights @UN_SPExperts @UNTreatyBodies @UNGeneva @DrAliceJEdwards @HRCP87 @JusticeProject_

HRCP unequivocally condemns the killing of at least nine workers in an armed attack on a mining site in Chagai district, Balochistan. These workers were civilians and noncombatants, entitled under all circumstances to protection; their deliberate targeting constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights. We call on the state to conduct an immediate, transparent investigation, hold perpetrators accountable, and take concrete measures to ensure the safety of all civilians. HRCP reiterates that the people of Balochistan—not armed groups, nor corporate or state interests—must remain central to any development agenda.

#UNDPinPakistan, under the @EUPakistan 🇪🇺 funded #HuqooqePakistanII project, partnered with @HRCP87, to host a screening of Pakistan’s second periodic review under the United Nations Committee Against Torture at the Shaista Ikramullah Human Rights Education Centre in Lahore #SIHREC In her keynote address, Hina Jilani emphasized the importance of sustained human rights learning and meaningful engagement with international processes. The event brought together government officials, civil society, and academia to reflect on progress and continued efforts under #UNCAT

10 years of PECA. 10 years of silence. (Let’s not make it to 11.) But if this campaign made even a little noise, it’s because of the people behind it. 🎤 Mahim Maher, Aimun Faisal, Obair Khan, and Mohsin Alam—for the interviews, the questions that mattered, and visuals that refused to be ignored. 💻 Affan Qasim—for building the web app game you can't win (watch this space). Grateful for the brains, the grit, and the quiet chaos it takes to push back. #PECA #FreedomOfExpression #DigitalRights

Amid a broader pattern of restrictions on freedom of expression, HRCP is concerned by @reportpemra's show-cause notice to @geonews_urdu for airing archival content on the late Indian singer Asha Bhosle. Reporting on an artist’s life necessarily involves engagement with their work. Penalising this undermines meaningful journalism and limits public access to shared cultural histories. Constitutional guarantees under Article 19 protect not only political speech but also artistic and cultural expression, which must be interpreted in ways that promote openness and pluralism. South Asia’s cultural landscape has long transcended borders. Attempts to police such exchange are both impractical and regressive. We urge PEMRA to ensure that media outlets can engage with cultural content without fear of punitive action.

19 young human rights defenders. ... 12 of them women. 6 districts. 2 days in Peshawar. How to document violations without putting themselves or others at risk. How to push institutions, not just appeal to them. How to make sure the most marginalised aren’t just spoken for, but heard. No big slogans. Just practical tools, sharp questions and a network that didn’t exist a week before. #HumanRights #Pakhtunkhwa #HRDs @CanHCPakistan

At a meeting convened by HRCP in Islamabad, activists, lawyers, political workers and citizens urged superior court judges to uphold the Supreme Court’s 2015 stay order against summary evictions of katchi abadis, safeguarding the constitutional right to housing for the urban poor. The call comes amid an ongoing demolition drive by the @CDAthecapital, targeting Muslim and Christian settlements and historic villages including Saidpur, Malpur and Nurpur Shahan. HRCP and allied organisations, including the All-Pakistan Alliance for Katchi Abadis, National Commission for Justice and Peace, @AwamiWorkers Party, @Aurat_marchisb and others, criticised the CDA’s anti-poor approach and failure to provide adequate low-cost housing, noting that only one limited scheme has been launched in the city since 2000, despite a katchi abadi population of around 500,000. They demanded that informal settlements be recognised and regularised, warning that demolitions deepen the housing crisis. Emphasising that housing is a fundamental right under Article 9, they called for an end to forced evictions, respect for court orders, and due process in all cases.

Join us this Thursday. Link to Space: x.com/i/spaces/1yGBe…

The last word... 📱 Your phone is a weapon for justice. The PECA laws aren't being used to stop trolling or hate—they're being used to silence you. @FarhatullahB and HRCP are calling on every citizen to turn their 'gadgets' into tools for change. We have enough people of knowledge; what we need now are people of voice. THE MISSION Identify the flaw. This law is weak, unfair, and designed to stifle dissent. Take responsibility. Use your mobile or laptop to demand the abolition of clauses that attack freedom of information, expression and opinion. Speak up. Move from silence to action. Don't just cling to your phone—use it to speak up for those being silenced. ✊📢 آخری بات۔۔۔۔ آپ کا موبائل: انصاف کا ایک ذریعہ پیکا قانون نفرت یا ٹرولنگ کے خاتمے کے لیے نہیں، بلکہ آپ کی آواز کو دبانے کے لیے استعمال ہو رہا ہے۔ فرحت اللہ بابر اور ایچ آر سی پی ہر شہری سے اپیل کر رہے ہیں کہ وہ اپنے 'ڈیجیٹل آلات' کو تبدیلی کا ذریعہ بنائیں۔ ہمارے ملک میں اہلِ علم کی کمی نہیں—اب ضرورت ہے کہ لوگ اپنی آواز بھی بلند کریں۔ ہمارا مشن: خامیوں کی نشاندہی کریں۔ یہ قانون کمزور، غیر منصفانہ ہے اور اختلافِ رائے کو دبانے کے لیے استعمال ہو رہا ہے۔ ذمہ داری نبھائیں۔ اپنے موبائل اور لیپ ٹاپ کو ان دفعات کے خلاف استعمال کریں جو معلومات، اظہارِ رائے اور آزادیِ اظہار پر قدغن لگاتی ہیں۔ آواز بلند کریں۔ خاموشی توڑیں، اور اس قانون کے خلاف مؤثر انداز میں اپنی بات کو سامنے رکھیں۔ اپنے فون کو صرف مصروفیت کا ذریعہ نہ بنائیں، بلکہ اسے ان لوگوں کی آواز بنائیں جنہیں خاموش کر دیا گیا ہے۔ #HRCP #DigitalRights #Pakistan #FreedomOfSpeech

In 2016, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act was passed with the promise of making the internet safer. A decade later, the law has evolved through four different governments into a multi-layered system of digital control. From the first arrests of local reporters in 2017 to the birth of 'Digital Terrorism' charges in 2023, the target shifted from criminals to the voices of journalists, vloggers, and citizens. The 2026 reality: Today, we are no longer just dealing with a 'law'—we are living in a permanent regulatory framework. With the NCCIA replacing the FIA and the SMPRA enforcing platform rules, the digital landscape has been fundamentally rewritten. Milestones: 2016: The PML-N passes PECA; the FIA Cyber Crime Wing begins enforcement. 2022: The 'Public Figure' Ordinance attempts to make dissent a non-bailable crime. 2024: Platform X is blocked for 10 months; the NCCIA is officially born. 2025-26: Section 26A criminalises 'fake news', while journalists like Sohrab Barkat, Khalid Jamil, and Farhan Mallick face cases. The victims changed. The governments changed. But the law only grew stronger. Swipe through to see how the net closed in, year by year. 👇 #PECA2026 #DigitalRights #Pakistan #PressFreedom #NCCIA #DigitalTerrorism #JournalismIsNotACrime #InternetFreedom