LAHORE: United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association Gina Romero expressed concern over the arrests of Mahrang Baloch, Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chatha and Idrees Khattak.

She was addressing a session of the 6th Asma Jahangir Conference held at a hotel on Saturday. She said that military courts and anti-terrorism courts were being used to try human rights (HR) activists, describing it as a worrying trend.

She noted that recent amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and similar legislation in Balochistan and Punjab risk violating human rights, including protections against arbitrary detention and cruel treatment.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett said according to UN data, more than 2 million Afghans were deported last year. He added that Afghanistan is not safe for people to return to and the UN is very clear about this.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2026