The US State Department’s latest “2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” issued on April 22, indicates no significant improvement in Pakistan’s human rights situation over the past year.
The report accuses the Pakistani government of engaging in intimidation and reprisals against individuals abroad, including civil society activists, human rights defenders, and journalists.
According to the report, Pakistan is responsible for substantial human rights abuses, such as arbitrary and extrajudicial killings, torture, inhumane treatment, and life-threatening prison conditions.
It further states that arbitrary arrests and political detentions continue to occur, with “a lack of accountability contributing to widespread impunity.”
The report also highlighted allegations from the previous year where activists accused the Pakistani government of conducting politically motivated killings and kidnappings in other countries.
Additionally, it noted that successive Pakistani administrations have tacitly approved enforced disappearances. Citing figures from the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, the report detailed that out of 9,967 missing-person cases reported since 2011, 7,714 have been resolved, leaving 2,253 still pending.
Meanwhile, Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, Vedant Patel, emphasized the ongoing concern during a media briefing. Patel confirmed that human rights issues would remain a key topic in discussions with Pakistan, as with other nations. “The United States will continue to raise human rights issues with Pakistan as part of our bilateral agenda,” Patel stated.
It should be noted that the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are issued by the US State Department to the US Congress, covering “internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights” in all countries that receive US assistance and all United Nations member states.