KARACHI: Pakistan has been added to the Civicus Monitor’s human rights watchlist for 2025 due to a narrowing civil space, human rights activists being arbitrarily targeted by authorities, and journalists being clamped down on by draconian laws, according to a statement issued by the monitor.

According to Civicus, Pakistan joins the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Serbia, Italy and the United States in this year’s watchlist, which “lists countries experiencing rapid declines in civic freedoms”.

It lists Pakistan’s status as “repressed” on its website.

“Pakistan’s recent criminalisation of activists, stifling of opposition and minority protests, and digital space restrictions have resulted in the county being added to the Civicus Monitor watchlist,” the press release read.

Country joins DR Congo, Serbia, Italy and US on Civicus Monitor’s watchlist of nations ‘experiencing rapid declines in civic freedoms’

The release added that the government brought “trumped up charges” against Dr Mahrang Baloch, the leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, and human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir.

The release said that Mahrang “faces multiple criminal charges, including under the Anti-Terror­ism Act, for organising sit-ins across the country and attending gatherings”.

Meanwhile, the release said that Mazari-Hazir was “targeted on terrorism charges for actively supporting legal redress for victims of violence and persecution and advocating for rights of persecuted religious and ethnic communities”.

Civicus added that the Anti-Terrorism Act was also used to ban the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement in 2024.

“The charges against human rights defenders like Dr Mahrang Baloch and Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir are a political witch-hunt. They are attempts at silencing dissent,” said Rajavelu Karunanithi, Civicus’ Advocacy and Campaign Officer for Asia.

“Civicus calls on the government to drop these fabricated charges immediately and to revoke the ban against the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement,” the release added, quoting Karunanithi.

The monitor observed a systematic crackdown on protests by political opponents in October and November last year. “Hundreds were arrested and charged ahead of protests under vague and overbroad laws,” Civicus said. “The authorities blocked major highways and routes to stifle the movement of protesters.

“Protests by the ethnic Sindh and Baloch groups were met with suppression by the authorities. These incidents are clear violations of Pakistan’s commitments to uphold civic freedoms,” the monitor added.

Furthermore, Civicus noted that journalists were targeted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), with the press release stating that they were “accused of spreading ‘false narratives against state institutions’.”

The monitor added that Peca was amended in January to “further tighten its control on free speech”, while it noted that social media platform X has been shut down in Pakistan since February 2024. Civicus also mentioned the suspension of mobile and internet services amid protests in its press release.

“The crackdown on protests by the opposition and ethnic minority groups and targeting of journalists and digital restrictions are inconsistent with Pakistan’s international human rights obligations,” the press release read. “They also go against the recommendations made by the UN Human Rights Committee.”

According to Civicus, the UN Human Rights Committee reviewed Pakistan’s record on civil and political rights and urged recommendations to protect civic freedoms in October 2024.

“The authorities must take steps to reverse course and protect the rights to peaceful assembly and expression and bring perpetrators to justice,” added Karunanithi.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025