Human rights

A right may be defined as something to which an individual has a just claim. The American
Declaration of Independence states that “all men... are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This is a brief
statement about human rights in contrast to civil rights. Human rights are those that individuals
have by virtue of their existence as human beings. The right to life itself and the basic necessities of
food and clothing may be considered fundamental human rights.

Civil, or legal, rights are those granted by a government. The right to vote at age 18 is a civil right,
not a human right (see Civil Rights). In the course of the 19th and 20th centuries there was a
broadening of the concept of human rights to include many rights formerly regarded as civil.

Historical Background
The term human rights came into common use only after World War II. It was made current by the
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, published in 1948. As a term human rights
replaced natural rights, a very old concept, and the related phrase rights of man, which did not
necessarily include the rights of women.

Most scholars trace the origin of the concept of natural rights to ancient Greek and Roman thought.
In the literature and philosophy of both Greece and Rome there are abundant statements
acknowledging laws of the gods and of nature, and such laws were understood to take precedence
over laws made by the state.

The human-rights concept, however, can actually be traced to an earlier period. The Hebrew Bible
(called the Old Testament by Christians) relates the story of ancient Israel, and in it are abundant
inferences about human rights. There is no well-developed statement on the issue, but there are
significant scattered passages that give clear evidence of a point of view at least as advanced as
Greek and Roman philosophy. The Ten Commandments, by the prohibition of murder and theft, give
implicit recognition of the right to life and property. This recognition is considerably broadened by
later elaboration of the laws and by the passionate discourses on justice by such prophets as Amos.

If the concept of human rights is very old, the general recognition of their validity is not. Throughout
most of history, governments failed to accept the notion that people have rights independent of the
state. This is called statism, and it implies the supremacy of the state in all matters pertaining to the
lives of subjects. Statism is still a potent concept in the 20th century. Germany under Adolf Hitler
and the Soviet Union during the rule of Joseph Stalin are prime examples, and there are other
equally valid instances that still exist.

The modern development of the human-rights concept began during the late Middle Ages in the
period called the Renaissance, when resistance to political and economic tyranny began to surface in
Europe. (For a survey of the historical development, see Bill of Rights.) It was during the 17th and
18th centuries, a period called the Enlightenment, that specific attention was drawn by scientific
discoveries to the workings of natural law. This, in turn, seemed to imply the existence of natural
rights with which the state should not be allowed to interfere.
By the time of the American and French revolutions, a complete turnaround had taken place in the
relationship of governments to human rights. The point of view elaborated by the American
Founding Fathers, as well as by the French revolutionaries, is that government's purpose is to
protect and defend rights, not to dispense or exploit them. James Madison went so far as to assert
that “as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may equally be said to have a property in his
rights.” And further, “Government is instituted to protect property of every sort.” The Declaration of
the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (France, 1789) states that, “Men are born and remain free and
equal in rights,” and “The aim of every political association is the preservation of the natural and
inprescriptible rights of man.”

Such advanced views of human rights were not without their critics. From the end of the 18th
century through the third decade of the 20th, outspoken and influential theorists attacked the
human-rights concept. Edmund Burke in England denounced what he called “the monstrous fiction”
of human equality. Philosopher Jeremy Bentham stated that only imaginary rights can be derived
from a law of nature. These thinkers were joined, in the course of 100 years, by Bentham's disciple
John Stuart Mill, the French political theorist Joseph de Meistre, the German jurist Friedrich Karl von
Svaigny, the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, and others. By 1894 the British writer F.H.
Bradley could exalt the concept of statism by saying: “The rights of the individual today are not
worth consideration. . . . The welfare of the community is the end and is the ultimate standard.”

The critics, however, were going against the tide of history. In the United States and many parts of
Europe, there was distinct progress in the development of human rights. These instances might not
have been sufficient without the laboratory of human rights abuse that Nazi Germany provided for
the entire world to see. The appalling crimes against humanity, most evident in the extermination of
millions of people in concentration camps, horrified the civilized world and helped bring human
rights to their present level of acceptance (see Genocide; Holocaust).

Definitions of Rights

The general acceptance of human rights led to a widespread agreement on certain fundamental
assumptions about them: (1) If a right is affirmed as a human right rather than a civil right, it is
understood to be universal, something that applies to all human beings everywhere. (2) Rights are
understood to represent individual and group demands for the sharing of political and economic
power. (3) It is agreed that human rights are not always absolute: they may be limited or restrained
for the sake of the common good or to secure the rights of others. (4) Human rights is not an
umbrella term to cover all personal desires. (5) The concept of rights often implies related
obligations. Thomas Jefferson noted that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Therefore, if
individuals would maintain their freedom, their duty is to guard against political, religious, and social
activities that may restrict their rights and the rights of others.

Acceptance of fundamental assumptions has not lessened disagreement on which rights can be
classified as human rights. Historically the debate has been carried on about three categories:
individual, social, and collective. Individual rights refer to the basic rights to life and liberty
mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Social rights broaden this concept to include
economic, social, and cultural rights. Collective, or solidarity, rights have come into prominence since
the end of World War II, the collapse of old colonial empires, and the emergence of many new
nation-states. These particular forms of rights are best described by the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.

Individual rights.

These rights were best described by the 17th- and 18th-century political theorists—such men as
John Locke in England, Montesquieu in France, and Jefferson and others in the United States. They
are the rights to life, liberty, privacy, the security of the individual, freedom of speech and press,
freedom of worship, the right to own property, freedom from slavery, freedom from torture and
unusual punishment, and similar rights as spelled out in the first ten amendments to the United
States Constitution. Basic to individual rights is the concept of government as a shield against
encroachment upon the person. Little is demanded from government but the right to be left alone.
Government is not asked for anything except vigilance in safeguarding the rights of its citizens.

Social rights.

This concept of rights grew out of the socialist and Communist criticisms of capitalism and its
perceived economic injustices: low wages, long working hours, unsafe working conditions, and child
labor, among others. Social rights make demands on government for such things as quality
education, jobs, adequate medical care, social-insurance programs, housing, and other benefits.
Basically they call for a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of the individual
and the family.

Collective rights.

The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on
Dec. 10, 1948. It urged the right to political, economic, social, and cultural self-determination; the
right to peace; the right to live in a healthful and balanced environment; and the right to share in the
Earth's resources. It also pledged the rights of life, liberty, and security of person—the basic human
rights.

Human Rights

Human Rights refers to those rights of a man which are inalienable and which are assigned to him by
the virtue of being a human personality.These rights are universal and are based on the inherent
dignity of human beings.There rights are considered to be above all the natioal or legal consideration
of world and are same for all human beings irrespective of their class creed or colour.The genie of
the concept of human rights in the contemporary sense is the belief in the sacredness of human
personality.This sacredness is supposed to be universal and absolute at ideal and conceptual levels
at least.It has some consequences which mean that certian choices should be made for all human
beings and certian choices should be rejected for all human beings.It refers to human dignity as
somthing which should be respected in its own right.

Human rights refers to some of the basic rights of individual as of life,freedom from
slavery,poverty,opression,of chioce,expression and assembly.Some philosophers as Karel Vasak
divide them in three generations.First generation refers to civil and political rights ,second
generation refers to economic ,social and cultural rights, third generation deals with solidarity rights
as of peace and to clean our environment.However some philosophers do not agree with this
division and assert that these all rights are interconnnected for example the right of political
participation is connected with the education.Philosophers like Jhon Lock developed the concept of
natural rights,the notion that people possess certian rights by virtue of being human . Lock's natural
rights didnot rely on citizenship nor any law of state ,nor were necessarily limited to one particular
ethenic,culture or relegious groups.

United Nations approved its Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948,appalled by the violence
and atrocities of world wars.The declaration is a detail document that clearly enumerates the rights
of an individua.Though the document has no legal bounding but still it emphasizes on the basic
rights which states should protect.These rights include equality as all human beings are equal .No
discrimination can be ,and should made on the base of nation,relegion,sex or colour.The declaration
recognizes the freedom of indicidual in all respect.It ascertian his political participation and provide
security against poverty,unemployment,corrouption and violence of all sorts.In short declaration
clearly exhibits all rights that should be provided to a person in a respectable and liberal society.The
declaration has 30 articles and it also assign some duties to individual to abide by their respective
domestic laws for the welfare and peace in any society.

UDHR is not the only declararation that emphasizes the dignity and worth of an individual and
recognize his rights.Certuab other declarations were adopted by UN for example ,The International
Convenat on Civil and Political Rights,and International Convenant On Economic,Social And Cultural
Rights.These declarations came into force in 1961 and 1976 respectiely.Many states have included
some of these rights in their laws and there are numerous IGOs and NGOs working both on national
and international levels to safeguard the rights of man.

The discussion on human rights is not new but is also found in history in different ages.Ur-Nammu
the king os Ur created the first legal code in 2050 ,BC.Cyrus Cylinder the Persian king in 6th century
BC established the unprecedented principles of human rights .After his conquest fo Babylon in 539Bc
the king issued a declaration which is recognized by many today as the first document on Human
rights.It provide freedom of relegion and freedom from slavery.The most modren examples are seen
in Two revolution in eighteen century of United states Revolution of 1776 and of France in 1789.The
US declaration on independence include concepts of national rights and famously states ,"All men
are created equal,they are endowed by their creator of certian inalienable rights,that among them
are life ,liberty and pursuit of happiness".French constituent Assembly passed a declaration of Rights
of Man and Citizens which was indeed a revolutionary step at that time.Rights of
equality,security,property,freedom and participation in politics were recognized and stressed.

Human Rights and relegion, is a much discussed debate.some links the early recognizations of
human rights with relegion as every relegion taughts its followers certian values and principles to
respect certian rights and uphold them.On the other hand some averred that relegions have played
a part in curtailing the rights of man and has divided the humanity in different sects and
nations.Both arguments carry weight as relegions do inculcate respect of human rights to some
extent but it has also given rise to discrimnations of different sort .It is evident as some relegion do
taught to discriminate on the base of caste system.Perhaps that is the reason why western world
was forced to restrict the relegions to churches and was made a private affair as its all provisions
were not applicable to the notion of human rights in modren world.

Islam is also critisized by some ignorant forces as limiting the human rights though the presumption
is made on of lack of knowledge.Islam infact professed the same Rights of man about fourteen
centuries ago which modren west has retrieved just a century or two ago.Human rights have been
given a special place in Islamic teachings.Islam with its universal teachings also gies rights to man
that can be applicable in all ages and all countries.Besides It has also assign some responsibilites and
duties to an individual that ensure the rights of other people.

After migration Holy Prophet (PBUH) introduced a charter in Madina which guarantees protection of
Relegion,life and safeguard property.After the conquest of Makkah Holy Prophet(PBUH),setting an
excellent example, showed forbearance and statmanship by forgiving every one and providing
general amnesty.Human rights as recognized by Islam are mentioned clearly in Holy Quran,the
constitutional source of Islam.Islam clearly protect the right of life of everyone whether be a muslim
or non-muslim.Holy Quran tells, "Do not kill a soul which Allah hasa made sacred expect through due
process of law" .Here the guarantee of life is not just given to muslims but to all humanity regardless
of relegion.At another place it is stated ,"If anyone slew a person unless it be for murde or spreading
mischief on land it would be as if he had slewn the whole humanity" .Rights of property of an
individual is recognized and is given safeguard.Holy Prophet(PBUH) said,"your lives and properties
are forbidden to one another---".Islam asks its followers to adopt fair dealing and justice,"Be just it is
next to piety and fear Allah".Holy Prophet(PBUH) directs muslims to be just to everyone to,muslims
non-muslims,relatives,poors and orphans.Islam recognizes the right of men to be equal it clearly tells
everyone, “No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab nor does a white man have any superiority over
a black man.You all are children of Adam and Adam is created from clay". Islam give political rights
to man and recognizes his right to protest against a ruler.Holy Prophet(PBUH)has regarded the
protest against a tyrant to be the best form of Jihad.Islam aslo ensures the rights of poor and
needy.It advices the distribution of wealth.The system of zakat is infact to a way to fulfill the needs
of poors and unprivileged people as a share of needy people is fixed in one's income and
property.This helps alleviating the poverty in a society.Islam safeguard the rights of slaves,freeing
slave is regarded as very pious act which will save one from the fire of hell and freeing slave also
means to get rid of sins .Masters are urged to treat them compassionately "You should feed them on
what you eat ,clothe them as you clothe yourself ".Women are given special respect and rights.Islam
raised the status of women by the assertion that heaven lies beneath the feet of mother.Women are
given security and have right of education,property and of doing buisness.They are required to cover
their bodies so that they may be saved from many vices in society.Islam protects the rights of
minorities without any discriminations.Holy Quran clearly states "There is no compulsion in
relegion".Rulers are answerable before their subjects and to God too for their subjects.Minorities
are allowed to follow their relegions and to spend their lives as according to their relegions.So Islam
present universal values that are applicable in all ages and aslo in all societies.So a relegion like Islam
helps to understand the human rights and ensure their providence in all circumstances.

Despite of high sounding words of different declarations,IGOs and NGOs the current situation of
human rights is far from satisfactory in this modren age.There has been great violations of human
rights from time to time in different parts of the world.No country or society can claim that it is
protecting human rights.Human being have been made subject to different persecutions in even this
advance age. Poverty,corruption,unemployment,illiteracy and crimes against women are the
problem of each and every country.Some asserts that the condition of human rights is even bitter in
third world, in the under-developing and developing countries.The assertion seems correct if we
take a look at these societies.At the some places teh living standard is awefully low.Poverty is a curse
on these countries.People are living worst kind of life full of wants.Moreover all other institutions
are not working properly because of several reasons.Poverty is not just a problem but it may be
called the mother of many problems.Corrouption,crimes,illiteracy,child labour and discrimination
against women all these problems to some extent are linked with the poverty.So how can be the
human rights be upholded and protected when the ground realities are so bleak.Literacy rates of
these countries are very low.Though the different IGOs and NGOs are working to improve the
situation but the scale of problem is so immense that it is just not making very little differece.

Pakistan like many other developing countries is suffering from human rights violations at different
levels.Its poverty level is very high an people are unable to fulfill their very basic needs of
food,clothing and shelter.The situation of unemployment is disheartening.There are a large number
of educated young man deprived of their rights to earn a respectable living for themsleves and their
family.The corrouption is the order of day.The basic right of justice is beyond the reach of a common
man.The law courts and judicial system is slow and fail to provide the justice to general public.The
curtailment of the rights of expression and other freedom under military rules have been frequent in
history.Even the question of democracy is doubtful.

What more is the human rights violations against women.The inhuman and unislamic practices such
as "karokaree","vanni",marriages with Quran and honour killing are prevalent in different parts of
the country.Despite some efforts of govermen and private sector such crimes against humanity are
still uncontrollable.The treatment of women in lower classes is worse than animals.Domestic
violence against women is frequently reported.Although many cases are not even publicized or
known to general public.Child labour is another very important problem.Children of very tender age
are seen to be working for their large families.The very age of education and personality building is
wasted.Thus the literacy rate is very low.Many children are deprived of their very basic right of
education.The conditions of jail are even worst.Torture and degrading behaviour of Police is also a
menache.The worst example of this is the very recent incident of stiching the lips of a prisoner by jail
authorities.Freedom of press as well as of expression,though better than past,still is far from
satisfactory.

So we see the human rights situation is very discouraging in the third world and developing
countries but to say that human rights are just violated in these areas and that the so called modren
countries are exempt from it is a big lie.Here in modren world if we do not see the worst kinds of
poverty or other such problems(though these are present here too)but here many other violations
are commited.Here we see the racial discriminations.Infact west is more involved in human right
violations than any other country.

Seen from a historical point of view the whole history of colonalization and of westren empires tells
the story of racial,colour and relegious discrimination.Moreover West has on its credit teh Two
bloddy world wars.which must have cause much human rights violations than can be imagined.Their
economic,social and cultural repercussions are numerous.Holocaust(if it is true),the genocide of
Bosnia and Rawanda are the worst examples of human rights violations.But this is the only picture of
past.Today the situation is not better.Discrimnations of different sorts are seen here.Blacks complain
of the colour and racial discriminations are still in practice.Muslims living in those western countries
also have to suffer with this kind of discrimination.The bans on scarfs of muslim is a flagrant violation
of human rights.They are not allowed to spend their lives according to their relegious teachings.The
occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan are also worst examples.On the other hand muslims are also
persecuted in other parts of world like Kashmire and Palistine.

We are here confronting a very contradictory situation here.India which claims to be the largest
democracy of the world is commiting worst kind of human rights violations in Kashmire.On the other
hand United states also claims to be one of the largest democracies of the world but abroad it is
enchroaching the liberty rights of Afghanies and Iraqies.In fact she has been subjected to the
criticism of many human rights organizations for this behaviour.

Perhaps the worst examples of human right violation are the prisons of Abu Grab in Iraq and
Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.The inhuman treatment to the prisoners of these jails is not a secret any
more.Press and media has revealed the atrocities and degrading behaviour that these prisoners have
to suffer by US troops.The so called democratic values of US troops have been seen by the entire
world.So the situation of human rights in modren world is not better .

To improve the situation on the International level need stern efforts by Goverments and also by the
International organizations is needed.What is all the more important is the collective will to improve
the situation.The International Organizations like United Nations need be made more potent so that
the international decisions can not be made arbitrarily by some powers.Equality of countries in all
these forums is very important for the equality of manking.The developing countries should be
helped to tackle the problems like proverty,unemployment and illiteracy without.Goverments on the
other hands should ensure the human rights conditions in their respective countries.Democratics
values in true sense need to be make prevalent in many countries.States should provide special care
to children and take some important measures to eradicate child labour.Education should be made
free and for all.Goverments should take steps to give special place to the awareness of human rights
in curriculums.Educational systems shuold inculcated these values and human rights in young
minds.Discriminations of all kind whether be of racial,relegious or sex should be eliminated.The
international situation of human rights can not be improved unless the burning issues like Kashmire
and Palistine are solved according to the wishes of their people.US should also be urged to withdraw
their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Contradictions off all sorts should be revealed and ended.

So human rights are based on man's dignity and civilized nations should provide the assurance of
these rights to its civilians.Mankind in this age of reason and technology need to be freed from the
racial and relegious discriminations.International bodies,Goverments as well the learned scholars of
world should play their active role in this regard only then manking claims to be civilized.
In 2021, the Pakistan government intensified its efforts to control the media and curtail dissent.
Authorities harassed, and at times detained, journalists and other members of civil society for
criticizing government officials and policies. Violent attacks on members of the media also
continued.

The authorities expanded their use of draconian sedition and counterterrorism laws to stifle dissent,
and strictly regulated civil society groups critical of government actions or policies. Authorities also
cracked down on members and supporters of opposition political parties.

Women, religious minorities, and transgender people continue to face violence, discrimination, and
persecution, with authorities failing to provide adequate protection or hold perpetrators to account.
The government continues to do little to hold law enforcement agencies accountable for torture and
other serious abuses.

Attacks by Islamist militants, notably the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, targeting law enforcement
officials and religious minorities killed dozens of people.

Freedom of Expression, Attacks on Civil Society Groups

A climate of fear impedes media coverage of abuses by both government security forces and militant
groups. Journalists who face threats and attacks have increasingly resorted to self-censorship. Media
outlets have come under pressure from authorities not to criticize government institutions or the
judiciary. In several cases in 2021, government regulatory agencies blocked cable operators and
television channels that had aired critical programs.

Several journalists suffered violent attacks in 2021. On April 20, an unidentified assailant shot and
wounded Absar Alam, a television journalist, outside his house in Islamabad. Alam has been a
prominent critic of the government. On May 25, Asad Ali Toor, a journalist, was assaulted by three
unidentified men who forcibly entered his apartment in Islamabad, bound and gagged him and
severely beat him. Toor said that they identified themselves as being from a security agency,
interrogated him about the “source of his funds,” and took away his cell phone and other electronic
devices. The government ordered an investigation into the incident, but no findings were made
public. On May 29, the news channel, Geo, “suspended” Hamid Mir, one of Pakistan’s best-known
television talk show hosts, after he spoke at a protest in solidarity with Toor.

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) reported intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of

Freedom of Religion and Belief

Members of the Ahmadiyya religious community continue to be a major target for prosecutions
under blasphemy laws as well as specific anti-Ahmadi laws. Militant groups and the Islamist political
party Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) accuse Ahmadis of “posing as Muslims.” The Pakistan penal code also
treats “posing as Muslims” as a criminal offense.
According to a Pakistani human rights organization, the Centre for Social Justice, at least 1,855
people were charged under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws between 1987 and February 2021.

On May 17, dozens of people attacked a police station in Islamabad to lynch two brothers charged
with blasphemy, breaking into the facility and battling with police officers before the station was
brought under control. The two brothers were physically unharmed. The police arrested a number of
individuals who were part of the mob, but none were prosecuted.

On June 4, the Lahore High Court acquitted a Christian couple, Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta
Kausar, of blasphemy after spending seven years on death row. The couple was convicted in 2014 of
sending “blasphemous” texts to a mosque cleric.

In August, an 8-year-old Hindu boy in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, became the youngest person to ever
be charged with blasphemy in Pakistan after he was accused of defiling a carpet at a religious
seminary. Following his release on bail, a mob attacked a Hindu temple, causing damage. All charges
against the child were subsequently dropped.

Abuses against Women and Girls

Violence against women and girls—including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, and
forced marriage—is endemic throughout Pakistan. Human rights defenders estimate that roughly
1,000 women are killed in so-called honor killings every year.

In July, the torture and murder of Noor Muqadam, 27, in Islamabad led to nationwide protests. A
childhood friend of Muqadam, Zahir Jaffer, whose marriage proposal she had spurned, was arrested
and charged with the murder. Earlier in July, Pakistan's Parliament did not pass a bill that sought to
criminalize domestic violence; women rights activists criticized the government’s decision to refer
the bill to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) for review. The CII criticized the bill saying that it
contained “un-Islamic injunctions” and would destroy the institution of the family.

In August, a viral video of a young woman being assaulted by more than 400 men in a Lahore park
while she and her companions were filming a TikTok video led to domestic and international
condemnation. The government vowed to find the perpetrators, but no arrests were made public.

Child marriage remains a serious problem in Pakistan, with 18 percent of girls marrying before age
18, and 4 percent marrying before 15. Women from religious minority communities remain
particularly vulnerable to forced marriage. The government has done little to stop such marriages.

Pakistan ranked 153 out of 156 nations on the Global Gender Gap 2021 index issued by the World
Economic Forum.

Children’s Rights to Education

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, over 5 million primary school-age children in Pakistan were out
of school, most of them girls. Human Rights Watch research found girls miss school for reasons
including lack of schools, costs associated with studying, child marriage, harmful child labor, and
gender discrimination. School closures to protect against the spread of Covid-19 affected almost 45
million students for most of the year; Pakistan’s poor internet connectivity hampered online
learning.
Police and Security Forces Abuses

The Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and their affiliates
carried out suicide bombings and other indiscriminate attacks against security personnel that caused
hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries during the year. In July, an attack on a bus carrying workers
at the Dasu Hydroelectric project in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa killed nine Chinese engineers. In August, a
grenade attack in Karachi killed 12 people, including six women and children. No group claimed
responsibility for either incident.

Pakistan law enforcement agencies were responsible for numerous human rights violations,
including detention without charge and extrajudicial killings. In March, Pakistan Prime Minister
Imran Khan met with families of people who had been forcibly disappeared, allegedly by Pakistani
security forces, and pledged that their concerns would be addressed. However, his government
announced no investigations in any cases.

Pakistan has still not enacted a law criminalizing torture despite Pakistan’s obligation to do so under
the UN Convention against Torture. In July, the Pakistan Senate unanimously approved a critically
important bill outlawing police torture and otherwise seeking to prevent deaths in police custody.
The law had not been passed by the National Assembly at time of writing. The law if passed would
be the first time that Pakistan enacts a comprehensive definition of torture in line with Convention
Against Torture. The bill also proposes criminal liability for death caused in police custody,

Pakistan has more than 4,600 prisoners on death row, one of the world’s largest populations facing
execution. Those on death row are often from the most marginalized sections of society.

In June, the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) retained Pakistan as a jurisdiction
under “Increased Monitoring”–a so-called gray list of countries that fall short of FATF standards for
countering terrorism financing and money laundering. Pakistan has been on the gray list since 2018.
The FATF noted that Pakistan had made progress by largely addressing 26 of 27 goals, but still
needed to show that its investigations into terrorism financing and prosecutions “target senior
leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups

In October, Pakistan’s Senate approved a bill that would decriminalize suicide;

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Pakistan’s penal code criminalizes same-sex sexual conduct, placing men who have sex with men and
transgender people at risk of police abuse and other violence and discrimination. In July, activists
claimed that the transgender community in Karachi was being targeted in an organized social media
campaign to instigate violence against its members. On April 6, a 60-year-old transgender resident of
Karachi’s Korangi neighborhood was shot and killed by unidentified assailants who broke into their
home.
Key International Actors

The European Union is Pakistan biggest trading partner. In April, the European Parliament passed a
resolution deploring human rights violations in Pakistan and calling for an immediate review of
Pakistan’s eligibility for GSP+ status, which grants Pakistan trade benefits conditional on its
compliance with human rights obligations. In June, the EU and Pakistan held human rights talks. The
EU’s report on Pakistan’s compliance with its human rights obligations to retain GSP+ status is
scheduled to be published in early 2022.

In April, a ruling party member tabled a resolution in the National Assembly demanding a debate on
whether to expel the French ambassador for “anti-Islamic” remarks made by President Emmanuel
Macron.

In April, Pakistan secured membership on three United Nations panels: the Commission on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the Commission on
Population and Development.

Pakistan’s relationship with United States, the country’s largest development and military donor,
remained volatile in 2021. The United States acknowledged Pakistan’s significant role as one of the
stakeholders in resolving the Afghanistan conflict. However, in September, US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said that the United States would reassess its relationship with Pakistan in
formulating a policy on the future of Afghanistan. He also called on Pakistan not to recognize the
Taliban government in Afghanistan unless it meets international demands. Pakistan’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs said Blinken’s remarks were “not in line with the close cooperation” between the two
countries.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, Pakistan signaled that it was prepared to
recognize the Taliban government.

Pakistan and China deepened their extensive economic and political ties in 2021, and work
continued on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a project consisting of construction of roads,
railways, and energy pipelines. In October, Pakistan carried out joint counterterrorism military
exercises with China.