2024 US State Report and Pakistan’s Human Rights Reality
Selective Narratives vs. Ground Realities: Pakistan’s Stand on Human Rights
Pakistan’s is alleged for violating human rights according to a recent report published by the US State Department on August 12, 2025. The report highlighted media restrictions, threats to minority rights, labor rights, and enforced disappearances. To many readers abroad, it painted a bleak, unrelenting picture of a country in decline.
But in Islamabad’s view, this was not a fair portrait, but rather, a selective interpretation of complex realities.
Pakistani officials, civil society members, and ordinary citizens point out that while there are real challenges, they cannot be divorced from the country’s security context, its reform efforts, or its humanitarian record.
The Daily Reality Behind the Headlines
Schoolchildren in Peshawar, worshippers gathered in mosques, police officers standing guard, countless lives have been stolen over the past two decades in Pakistan. In places like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s rugged valleys and Balochistan’s wide, restless plains, extremist violence isn’t a distant headline, it’s a reality people wake up to every day.
“When you’ve buried so many, security isn’t just policy. It’s survival,” says a retired police officer from Quetta. To the government, measures like heightened surveillance or targeted security raids aren’t optional. They’re what stands between civilians and the next attack. Officials insist these aren’t moves to silence political voices, but necessary shields against groups that have blown up markets, murdered teachers in cold blood, and stormed hospitals.
Human Rights as a Geopolitical Weapon
Human Rights as a Geopolitical WeaponIslamabad contends that international human rights assessments are often unevenly applied. Countries facing internal instability, especially in the Global South, receive intense criticism, while powerful states or allies are spared equivalent scrutiny despite clear evidence of abuses.
Pakistani diplomats point to what they see as a painful double standard and that is the world’s near silence on the suffering in Palestine or Indian-administered Kashmir, contrasted with the loud condemnation of Pakistan’s flaws. In their eyes, reports like these start to feel less like a pursuit of universal justice and more like tools of political pressure.
Disappearances are Between Tragedy and Security Necessity
In Pakistan, few topics cut as deep as the question of missing persons. For years, families have marched, held photographs, and waited for answers that often come too slowly. The government admits there are genuine grievances and says that each case is handled by commissions working under the law though for the families, the wait can feel like a lifetime.
However, security officials point out that in many instances, individuals reported as “missing” have in fact joined armed groups sometimes across the border. They admit this can’t be used to excuse abuse, but stress that it shows the reality on the ground. The militants slipped into civilian areas, and intelligence teams working against the clock to stop the next explosion before it happens.
Torture, Legal Reforms, and Institutional Change
The laws against torture exist, and judges are meant to keep them in check but as many Pakistanis know, the real challenge is making those protections work in everyday life. Rights groups argue that progress is too slow. Officials respond that in a country as vast and resource stretched as Pakistan, reform takes time. They point to recent steps: retraining police, modernizing investigations, and opening the justice system to more scrutiny. Change, they say, is happening just not as quickly as some hope.
A Media That Still Speaks
Critics abroad argue that Pakistan’s media space is shrinking. But within the country, it is still possible to hear voices sharply critical of the government in print, on television, and increasingly on digital platforms. Courts have overturned executive bans and ruled in favor of journalists facing harassment. While tensions remain between national security concerns and press freedom, Pakistan insists that its media remains far more independent than that of many nations that rarely face external censure.
Religious Laws and Social Balance
Western states and various groups have targeted Pakistan on her blasphemy laws. Western governments argued that these laws are a major source of misuse against civilians. There are many cases that have emerged that indicate that these laws possess loopholes that lead towards misuse. However, Islamabad argues that it’s a balance in society, the misuse and law violators are persecuted.
Progressive steps such as passing the Christian and Sikh Marriage Acts are cited as evidence that minority protections are not just promises on paper. These moves, Pakistan says, prove that reform is possible without tearing apart the social fabric.
Labor Rights and Social Protections
Pakistan has taken measures to strengthen labor protection laws via stricter inspection. Such initiatives aim to set international standards. Moreover, Pakistan discourages child labor and bonded labor through formation of such laws. In short, Pakistan has adopted measures recently to protect labor rights.
Rejecting Accusations of Transnational Repression
Some foreign reports accuse Pakistan of targeting political dissidents abroad. Islamabad firmly rejects this, stating that any operations overseas are directed solely at individuals and groups formally recognized as terrorist organizations under international law.
A Refugee Commitment Few Can Match
If there is one point Pakistan emphasizes as proof of its humanitarian record, it is its decades-long hosting of Afghan refugees.
During the Afghan war, Pakistan hosted 2.3 million Afghans for more than four decades without any requirements. This long run hospitality of refugees reflects generosity and remarkable actions to promote stability in the region.
In short, a single piece of report cannot term Pakistan as a human rights violator. Since Pakistan is facing existential threats within the country. These security dilemmas are linked with the protection of the country. Furthermore, Pakistan is dedicated to summit to the global standards of human rights. Pakistan is looking for protection of its inhabitants, and modernization of its institutions for this purpose. However, it is also facing domestic and international challenges. In the end, understanding Pakistan’s reality necessitates seeing out of the box. It must also recognize the personal lives, everyday hardships, and brave endeavors that create the country’s future.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.
