PWA Monthly Human Rights Newsletter June 2025

This is the June edition of the Pakistan World Alliance newsletter. We provide a summary of human rights developments across Pakistan, from courts and villages to regional conflict zones and overseas engagements.

Since the military-backed removal of the elected government in April 2022, Pakistan has seen a systemic rollback of democracy, the rule of law, and civic freedoms. In this issue, we document both the repression and the resilience of those standing against it.

- Mohammed S, Newsletter Editor

Political Suppression

Imran Khan remains detained alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi, whose health is deteriorating in custody. Despite this, Khan continues to call for peaceful protests led from prison. Military courts are routinely used to suppress dissent, illustrating a judiciary increasingly complicit in political repression.

Balochistan

Forced disappearances in Balochistan continue unabated. In May, 128 cases were recorded, including student activist Zeeshan Zaheer, who was abducted in broad daylight. Activists like Dr. Mahrang Baloch echo: silence under such conditions is complicity.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A suicide car bomb in North Waziristan claimed 14 lives in June, followed by retaliatory strikes that reportedly killed civilians, including children. The government has afforded no transparency or accountability.

Women’s Rights

Islamabad’s child‑marriage ban marks a symbolic win. However, enforcement remains weak. In Sindh and Punjab, forced marriages, honour crimes, and domestic violence continue unchecked.

Religious Minorities

Blasphemy laws are increasingly misused to dispossess minorities. In June, four Hindu siblings were abducted and converted, and Christian men Suleman and Waqas Masih were tortured in custody, with Suleman dying as a result.

Teachers & Health Workers

June saw widespread protests by teachers and medical staff over pay and safety. Instead of dialogue, they were met with arrests. A mass jailbreak from Karachi’s Malir Jail also exposed the systemic breakdown in prison oversight.

Farmers & Rural Communities

Farmers already squeezed by inflation now face displacement via blasphemy accusations. Minority landowners in Punjab and Sindh report eviction in collusion with local powers.

Refugees

Pakistan is proceeding with deporting over 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, despite UN warnings. Many face persecution upon return.

Overseas Pakistanis & Diplomacy

Asim Munir’s US Visit: On 18 June, Field Marshal Asim Munir became the first Pakistani army chief to be hosted alone at a White House luncheon with President Trump. Pakistani‑American community members protested outside the Four Seasons Hotel and embassy, accusing Munir of human rights abuses and democratic repression

Journalist Ahmad Noorani’s US Hearing: Exiled investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani testified at a US congressional hearing on transnational repression. Pakistani authorities blocked his YouTube channel, filed PECA charges, and reportedly abused his family. His next hearing is scheduled for August

Concluding Thoughts

June reaffirms that repression has been institutionalized—through militarised rule, coerced silence, and state violence. Yet the courage of Pakistanis—domestic and abroad—reflects an enduring resistance. We speak not only for the oppressed. We speak for a Pakistan where every voice must matter.

Sources:

Pakistan World Alliance – Official Website

HRCP Report on Enforced Disappearances in Balochistan – May 2025

Human Rights Watch – Abuse of Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan

Islamabad Child Marriage Ban – Dawn News

Zeeshan Zaheer Disappearance – Voicepk.net

Pakistan's Military Courts – Amnesty International

Mahrang Baloch Profile – Al Jazeera

Refugee Deportations – UNHCR Statement

Malir Jail Inmate Escape – The News International

KP Suicide Bombing and Retaliatory Strikes – Reuters

Forced Conversions of Hindu Minor Girls – BBC Urdu

PHOTO: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan with his wife, Bushra Bibi

Image credit: BBC News

PHOTO: Protest in United States against the visit of Asim Munir

Image Credit: ManhasAnupama/X