Pakistani authorities intensified their suppression of free expression, political opposition, and civil society throughout 2025 by relying on vague and overbroad laws, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2026. The organization warned that these measures violate Pakistan’s international human rights obligations and have created a climate of fear for journalists, activists, and independent organizations.
Human Rights Watch documented widespread threats and attacks against the media, with journalists facing harassment, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and physical assaults for reporting critically on the government or militant groups. These abuses significantly undermined media freedom and restricted the space for independent reporting and public debate.
Religious minorities remained particularly vulnerable. Authorities continued to enforce blasphemy laws that have frequently been used to justify violence, arbitrary detention, and prosecution. Human Rights Watch found that these laws have been exploited for personal gain, including blackmail, land seizures, and forced evictions, disproportionately affecting poor and marginalized communities. Although the government announced plans in October to introduce procedural safeguards to reform the blasphemy law, concerns remain about ongoing misuse.
The government also escalated its campaign to expel Afghan refugees. In July, officials confirmed that even Afghans who had lived in Pakistan for decades with recognized refugee status could face deportation. Over the course of 2025, authorities used violence, intimidation, and coercion to force at least 531,700 Afghans to leave the country, raising serious concerns about forced returns and violations of refugee protections.
Civil society organizations faced growing pressure, including intimidation, surveillance, and harassment by state authorities. The government used restrictive policies regulating international nongovernmental organizations to obstruct the registration and operations of international human rights and humanitarian groups, further shrinking civic space.
Human Rights Watch urged Pakistani authorities to lift arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression, reform discriminatory laws that fuel violence against religious minorities, and halt mass deportations of Afghan refugees. The organization also called on Pakistan’s international partners to press the government to revise laws, policies, and practices to improve respect for fundamental rights and freedoms.
