Pakistan: Crackdown on the opposition, Baloch protesters and other civic freedoms ahead of elections

The state of civic space is rated as ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Over the last year, CIVICUS has documented the criminalisation, threats and harassment of human rights defenders and the failure to hold perpetrators to account. There have also been efforts to intimidate and censor journalists and media outlets and silence online expression, as well as restrictions and attacks on peaceful protests, especially by ethnic Pashtun minorities and women’s rights activists.

On 12th January 2023, Human Rights Watch reported that Pakistan’s political and economic crises deepened in 2023 and that the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif clamped down on the media, NGOs and the political opposition. The authorities also used draconian counterterrorism and sedition laws to intimidate peaceful critics. The government’s term ended in August 2023, and an interim government headed by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar Kakar took over.

In December 2023, former Prime Minister Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) party was barred from running in legislative elections. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified him over his graft conviction. Nomination papers of almost all national and provincial leaders of PTI were also rejected.

Human rights groups have raised concerns that upcoming elections scheduled for 8th February 2024 will not be free and fair because of “pre-poll rigging.” They expressed concern about authorities rejecting the candidacies of Imran Khan and most other members of his party. According to reports, PTI members are also facing harassment and discrimination. A number of his party leaders were allegedly detained and resurfaced days after their disappearance to announce they were leaving the party and distancing themselves from Khan. There has been a total blackout of PTI on national media, and the party has not been allowed to hold public gatherings or corner meetings within their election campaign.

In recent months, the police have cracked down on PTI supporters as well as Baloch activists and protesters seeking justice and accountability. A woman human rights defender’s house was raided, Pashtun activists were arrested and a human rights defender is on trial on fabricated cybercrime charges. The media watchdog banned critical voices on television ahead of elections and authorities disrupted the internet, while journalists faced judicial harassment.

Peaceful Assembly

Police arrest opposition supporters demonstrating for Palestine

In October 2023 police arrested a number of PTI supporters in different cities who took part in protests to express solidarity with the people of Palestine. The police arrested at least 50 workers of PTI who gathered in Lahore, Islamabad, Vehari, Multan and Gujranwala cities. Although various religious parties held pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country, only those carrying PTI flags were rounded up.

The PTI condemned the use of state machinery and unlawful detention of peaceful protesters in various parts of the country. A PTI spokesperson said the arrests were “shameful”, and expressed surprise that “the citizens are being arrested for their sole crime of expressing solidarity and support for the oppressed Palestinians.”

Arrest and excessive force of Baloch activists and protesters in Islamabad

In December 2023, Front Line Defenders reported that the authorities in Islamabad used excessive force, including tear gas, batons and water cannon against peaceful protesters engaged in ‘the Baloch Long March’ led by women against continuing repression and human rights violations, including enforced disappearances in the State of Balochistan. The authorities blocked protesters from entering Islamabad, beating and detaining many of them, including human rights defenders.

There has been a long campaign around historic and ongoing violations by Pakistan authorities against the Baloch community, including enforced and involuntary disappearance, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention and torture. ‘The Baloch Long March’ was a women led peaceful protest campaign which started on 6th December 2023. It was initiated after the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) allegedly killed a 24-year-old man. He had been in custody for a month, accused of possessing explosives.

According to Amnesty International, at least 20 people were arrested on 17th December 2023 while they were moving from the Dera Ghazi Khan district in the Punjab province.

On 20th December 2023, Pakistan police and state authorities prevented the peaceful Baloch protesters from reaching Islamabad and put up barricades to impede them. On the same night, police used excessive and brutal force against the protesters, who included elderly people and minors. According to Front Line Defenders those attacked included human rights defenders, namely families of the Baloch disappeared who have been campaigning for years, seeking the truth about their loved ones, and campaigning for their release and redress for violations committed against them. Videos shared on social media showed police dragging women, swinging batons and using water cannon in freezing temperatures. At least 290 Baloch activists were arrested. They were released on 25th December 2023.

Despite attempts by the authorities and powers that be to suppress the movement there has been an ongoing sit-in in Islamabad (see picture above)

65 held in Karachi after staging rally for Baloch protesters

On 14th January 2024, police picked up around 65 participants of a rally held in Lyari to express solidarity with the Baloch Yakjehti Council (BYC’s) sit-in in Islamabad a day before and booked them in multiple cases pertaining to rioting.

One of the cases against 15 of the 65 detaianed persons at the Chakiwara police station was registered under Sections 147 (rioting), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 290 (punishment for public nuisance) and 341(punishment for wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Another official said that police leadership had given strict directions not to allow any gathering by Baloch activists.

Supreme Court cancels military trials of civilians arrested over May protests

On 23rd October 2023, Pakistan’s Supreme Court declared the military trials of civilians arrested during violent protests on 9th May 2023 to be null and void. The decision was announced by a five-member bench headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

As previously documented, in May 2023, police had carried out mass arrests and detained more than 4,000 people in the wake of protests over the arrest of the former prime minister, including members of the political opposition. Police arbitrarily detained many opposition political party members as well as people who allegedly engaged in violence. In August 2023, human rights groups raised concerns about using military courts to try civilians. 102 people were being tried on charges of attacking sensitive defence installations and damaging or stealing important government equipment, computers and other sources of data collection.

Association

Woman human rights defender’s house raided

On 27th November 2023, Pakistan police, accompanied by plainclothes police officers, raided the home of woman human rights defender Hooran Baloch in Quetta, Balochistan. According to Front Line Defenders, police forcibly entered the premises where they threatened and filmed Hooran Baloch and her family without consent.

Hooran Baloch is a woman human rights defender and the Research Coordinator of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) based in Balochistan. VBMP, which was established in 2009, is a key organisation that supports victims and relatives of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. It documents violations and is a strong advocate for release, redress and accountability.

At the end of the two-hour raid, police arrested Hooran Baloch’s brother-in-law, Ali Nawaz, who was released after being detained for two hours at the Sattellite Town police station in Quetta.

Pashtun activists arrested

In November 2023 Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader, Ali Wazir was arrested in Dera. He was picked up when travelling to Dera from Quetta in a private car by the Daraban police. Several cases have been registered against Wazir in different police stations, pertaining to 'making speeches against state institutions and 'incendiary statements'.

The PTM is a loose network of Pashtun activists that in recent years has mobilised nationwide against systemic discrimination and human rights violations targeting the ethnic Pashtun people in Pakistan. They have faced arbitrary arrests and prosecution for their activism. Their protests have been restricted and censored in the media.

In December 2023, Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the PTM was arrested in connection with a shooting incident, as well as for violating a ban on entering Balochistan province.

He was detained after authorities said armed men in his vehicle opened fire on police. However, The PTM issued a statement alleging Pashteen’s vehicle was fired at by law enforcement agencies while he was traveling from Chaman to the nearby city of Turbat, where he was scheduled to address a protest. The PTM says Pashteen returned to Chaman and surrendered to authorities.

Human rights defender on trial on fabricated cybercrime charges

Human rights defender Muhammad Ismail continues to face fabricated cybercrime charges under section 9 (glorification of an offence), section 10 (cyber terrorism) and section 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. He appeared in the District Sessions Court in Peshawar on 8th January 2024. His hearing was adjourned to 29th January 2024.

Muhammad Ismail, the father of women’s human rights defender Gulalai Ismail, has been subject to judicial harassment since 2019 and has also been detained. Muhammad Ismail has been targeted due to his own work and the human rights work of his daughter, who was forced to flee Pakistan in 2019, fearing serious risks to her life.

In September 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) issued an opinion on his case. Among the key findings of the UN WGAD were that the arrest and detention of Muhammad Ismail was arbitrary, falling within categories I (without sufficient legal basis), II (for exercising his rights guaranteed under the ICCPR), III (being denied of his right to fair trial), and V (for his work as human rights defender and his relation to his daughter, Gulalai Ismail).

In February 2023, the anti-terrorism court in Peshawar acquitted Muhammad Ismail and his wife in another case registered by the counter-terrorism department on charges of sedition, conspiracy, terrorism and terror financing.

Expression

Media watchdog bans critical voices on television ahead of elections

On 14th August 2023, Pakistan’s media watchdog directed all TV channels to stop giving airtime to 11 people: a group including journalists considered close to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, individuals accused of criticising the military or the government, and others that have been ‘proclaimed offenders’ or absconders by courts.

It was not the first time that the watchdog, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), whose members are bureaucrats, media professionals and members of civil society, has taken such actions. PEMRA has banned Khan three times from TV channels since he was ousted from power in April 2022.

Journalist Raza Rumi, the editor of the Friday Times, said in an interview: “While it was hoped that this regulator would safeguard public interest and improve ethics, sadly it has turned into an instrument of censorship and control.” He added: “These bans show us the domination of Pakistan’s military establishment over media programming.”

Authorities disrupt the internet

In December 2023, the authorities in Pakistan temporarily slowed down internet services and blocked access to major social media platforms amid a rare online rally organised by the opposition PTI.

NetBlocks, an independent global internet monitor promoting digital rights, cybersecurity and governance, confirmed the disruptive internet connectivity in Pakistan.

NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, said: “Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across #Pakistan, including X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube; the incident comes just ahead of a major virtual gathering organised by persecuted opposition leader Imran Khan's party, PTI.”

Users reported having difficulty accessing social media platforms in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad shortly after 8pm. Users also complained about internet services being slow.

Criticising the disruption, lawyer and human rights activist Jibran Nasir said: “They actually messed with the internet, affecting millions of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of businesses only to oppose a PTI virtual rally. This is beyond madness.” Activist Usama Khilji also condemned the undermining of “Pakistani citizens’ right to access to information and freedom of association”.

On 7th January 2024, Internet and social media services across Pakistan were severely disrupted as the PTI prepared to launch a massive online campaign ahead of elections.

Netblocks said: "The incident is consistent with previous social media filtering events which have all been imposed during opposition party rallies or speeches by opposition leader Imran Khan. Such nation-scale social media targeting political activities is almost unprecedented at this scale.”

On 20th January 2024, the authorities disrupted social media and internet services again to undermine a PTI "virtual" election rally. Independent monitors reported that internet users could not access YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram in the run-up to and during the evening online event.

Senior journalist killed after leaving work in Sukkur

In August 2023, senior journalist Jan Mohammad Mahar died after multiple gunshots were fired from close range in a targeted attack in Sukkur, Sindh Province.

According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the senior journalist and Kawish Television Network (KTN) Sukkur bureau chief was shot several times on 13th August after leaving the broadcaster’s offices after 9pm. A colleague said Mahar was inside his vehicle at the time he was fired upon by unidentified assailants on a motorbike. Mehar was initially taken to Civil Hospital before being transferred to a private medical facility.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) said: “We demand the Provincial Government of Sindh and its inspector general of police to immediately arrest the killers and give compensation to the family of the killed journalist, Jan Muhammad Mahar.”

In September 2023, police arrested three individuals who they allege facilitated the murder of the journalist. No one had yet been charged for the killing at the time of writing.

Journalist faced judicial harassment and ill-treatment for their reporting

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that on 30th August, police arrested Fayaz Zafar, a reporter for the U.S.-Congress-funded Pashto-language broadcaster Voice of America Deewa and Daily Mashriq newspaper, in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Swat District.

Earlier that day, magistrate Irfan Ullah Khan ordered Zafar to be held in preventive detention for 30 days under the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. The order accused him of using social media to spread “fake, offensive and hatred contents to defame and incite the public” against the government and law enforcement agencies.

Zafar said he was taken to Swat police chief Shafiullah Gandapur’s home, where six officers beat him with their guns and fists despite his telling them he had a heart condition. The journalist also said police brought his car to Gandapur’s home, damaged its doors and hood with their rifle butts, and held the vehicle. Zafar said Gandapur pressured him to sign an affidavit that he would stop his critical reporting about the police, but he refused and was taken to jail. He was released the following day, following requests from the District Bar Association and a local tribal assembly.

Separately, CPJ reported that police in Swat District’s Mingora city opened an investigation on 31st August against Amjad Ali Sahaab, editor of the local Urdu newspaper Daily Azadi Swat and the online blog Lafzuna. They accused the journalist of inciting violence against state institutions via social media and posting criticism of the district administration.

A dozen police officers came to raid his home but did not enter because his brother said the journalist was not there and women were inside. Sahaab said he approached a local court on 1st September and secured pre-arrest bail to protect himself from detention in relation to the case until the next hearing.

Sahaab was accused of defamation and intentional insult with intent to breach the peace in violation of the penal code and causing annoyance or intimidation in violation of the Telegraph Act, 1885.

Missing journalist Imran Riaz Khan surfaces after four months

Prominent journalist and anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan, missing for more than four months, returned home in September 2023, his lawyer and police said.

As previously documented, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Imran Riaz Khan in the early hours of 11th May 2023 at Punjab’s Sialkot Airport from where he was scheduled to travel to Oman. He was arrested for inciting violence during the clashes between the security forces and the supporters of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.

On 12th May 2023, The Lahore High Court of Pakistan ordered the police to release him. Imran was reportedly released from the Sialkot Jail after the government withdrew the detention order but has disappeared since his release from the prison.