PAKISTAN: Women’s shackle of Matrimony
In Pakistan, for many young women, despite their progress in education or professional advancement, society continues to judge their success through a single lens: marriage. The reality of this pressure…
78 years after Independence – are Pakistani women truly free?
Pakistan celebrates its 78th Independence Day on 14th August with flags, processions, and orations on sovereignty and statehood. But as I sat alone reflecting, one question refused to leave my…
Child abuse in Pakistan
While scrolling through social media, I came across a video that was shocking and heart-wrenching. A young girl was on a bicycle with her little brother in the street when…
How Social Practices override Law of the Land.
A few days back, a shocking video ripped through Pakistan’s timelines: a woman and a man, taken into a desert landscape in Balochistan’s Degari area close to Quetta, shot in…
The Silence Around Honor Killings in Pakistan
In Balochistan’s mountains, where legend and life bleed into one another, stories live longer than their storytellers. Two hundred years ago, a boy named Lal Khan, known as Mast Tawkali,…
MARITAL RAPE, LEGAL AMBIGUITY IN PAKISTAN
In Pakistan, the institution of marriage is habitually used to validate silence, agony, and brutality. countless women suffer physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from their husbands, abuse that, in most…
Sexual Harassment and Institutional Complicity in Pakistan’s Workplaces
The Pakistan Supreme Court has recently delivered a landmark ruling, asserting that a safe working environment is a fundamental right of all citizens, regardless of their gender. Written by Justice…
Unseen Clauses: How The Marriage Contract Silences Women’s Rights in Pakistan
At the very heart of every Pakistani wedding lies a sacred agreement, the marriage contract. But for many women, its pages remain unread, its clauses unexplained, and its rights unclaimed.…
Drone Strikes on Civilians
DRONE ATTACKS IN TWO DOMESTIC LOCATIONS: Pakistan Government forces unloaded firepower through drones in the village of Dashkhe, Makin Tehsil, South Waziristan, in the 2nd Fortnight of June 2025. Bombs…
Transgender Lives Matter
I still recall an incident a few times back during my trip on the metro in Islamabad. A trans woman boarded the bus, graceful-looking but noticeably hesitant. Her body language…
How Many More Women Must Die for Saying No?
It began with a young woman in my neighborhood, around 20 years old, gunned down by her father for rejecting a marriage proposal from his nephew. She had dared to…
Climate and Gender: The Missing Link in Pakistan’s Energy Transition
Pakistan is among the few developing countries with an “on track” status for SDG 13, reflecting progress in climate change mitigation. Initiatives such as the “Clean and Green Pakistan,” “Ten…
Behind Closed Doors: Confronting the Silence Around Marital Rape in Pakistan
When Naila married at 22, she believed her life was a beginning chapter of mutual respect and companionship. Instead, she spent 9 years enduring what no one around her would…
The military-backed regime renders its citizens homeless and stateless
Binghamton NY: The incumbent puppeteer government backed by the military establishment in Pakistan has taken a strategic step to address the criticism from abroad regarding their unconstitutional and non-democratic practices.…
Fencing-off Gwadar
A distinct footprint of large scale infrastructure projects in South Asia is their securitization at the expense of local communities. This pattern in more evident in troubled areas that are…
Russia backs Pakistan’s bid to join BRICS
Zeeshan Javaid Rochester NY: Pakistan is seeking Russia’s assistance in order to become a member of the BRICS group. Moscow and Islamabad are quite close, and Islamabad is trying to…
Manzoor Pashteen under Detention
Manzoor Pashteen is imprisoned in Attock jail for the third time under 3MPO on the orders of the Punjab government. There are several provisions of this type of law including…
War of egos escalate between Taliban Government and Pakistani Establishment
New York: Tensions between defacto government in Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to soar as India jumps into the foray to help Afghan government construct a hydroelectric project on Kunar River…
Swelling support for the Baloch Long March
Outside the National Press Club of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, women, children, elderly and young people brave the harsh winter sitting with pictures of their loved ones held firmly…
Pakistan-Afghanistan tension over TTP: What to expect from Fazlur Rehman’s visit to Kabul
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have hit rock bottom since the caretaker government took over in Islamabad in August this year, with the former announcing the expulsion of all illegal foreigners in the…
Social Media Wars Grips Pakistan as country settles for another controlled elect
ISLAMABAD: Amidst uncertainties and repeated claims of “level playing open field by the country’s establishment”, neither political parties nor the voters seem enthusiastic about the upcoming general elections scheduled to…
KILLER HIGHWAYS OF BALOCHISTAN
Accident victims in Balochistan donot get Medical Aid, Rescue Teams as long as uptil 15-20 Hours. More than 20 accidents get reported everyday which have resulted in 256 deaths in…
Expulsion of Afghan Refugees from Pakistan
Shoiab Ahmad on behalf of Peace for Asia speaks to Afghanistan Expert Neeamat Khan on the Politics and Real world implications of the more than 17 Lakh Afghanis in Pakistan.…
GAS PIPELINES PARADOX: BALOCHISTAN’S STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE AND AUTONOMY
This comprehensive analysis reveals Balochistan’s profound paradox as a strategically vital but impoverished region marked by ongoing struggles symbolized by attacks on gas pipelines. Despite its vast landmass and abundant…
International game of dog-figting and Balochistan
Quetta: The cold-blooded murder of six construction workers from Southern Punjab in Balochistan’s remote district of Turbat is neither the first of its kind incident nor seems to be the…
Afghan Refugees Expulsion: Is Pakistan waging a lost battle?
A week before the deadline for illegal migrants expires on October 31, long queues of vehicles loaded with pretty ordinary household items are seen lined up at the Torkham border…
Selection Before the Elections is a Norm not an Exception
Islamabad: The return of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan has not generally been welcomed by masses as they keep buzzing the social media with interesting but logical quotes…
Persecution of Media workers in Pakistan
Pakistani journalists face countless threats every day, ranging from kidnapping, torture and arbitrary detention to disinformation campaigns and harassment, especially on social media. Women journalists are at particular risk. More…
Pakistan’s Role in Afghanistan Stability and Instability
The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been marked by complexity and contention for decades. Pakistan’s influence on its neighbor extends across multiple dimensions, encompassing geographical proximity, shared tribal affiliations,…
Amended Law Promotes Sectarian Hatred in Pakistan
Pakistan, already suffering the worst sectarian divide, witnesses another rise in sectarian extremism after the outgone Pakistan Democratic Movement Government passed contentious amendments in the country’s blasphemy laws which not…
Establishment Releases a New Episode of “Game of Thrones” in Pakistan
The enterprising establishment of Pakistan has curtain-raised a new episode of the “game of thrones” in the land of the pure by bringing back the ex-prime minister of Pakistan, Mian…
Elusive Freedom and Economic Hardships in Azad Kashmir
The elusive “freedom” and “economic prosperity” of Azad Kashmir seems to have started evaporating into thin air as a powerful rights-movement has surfaced in a land which has remained mostly…
Jirgas in Erstwhile FATA Region: The Need for Overhaul?
The 9 member traditional Tribal Jirga (council of elders or jury) in the newly merged tribal district of South Waziristan expelled the family of a young tribal journalist Meraj Khalid…
Plight of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan: Uncertain future
A large number of Afghan refugees reside in precarious conditions in different parts of the world. Similarly, Pakistan, sharing a 1600-mile-long border with Afghanistan, has many Afghan refugees under the…
Webinar on the Future of Human Rights in South Asia
TO WACTH THE ENTIRE WEBINAR CLICK HERE. Participants: Mubasher Bukhari, Pakistan based journalist, President of Media Foundation 360 who presently works for Reuters. Ali Aftab Saeed, Journalist, musician and a…
Women Journalists in Balochistan: Braving the Odds
A besieged land, secluded from the mainstream and at the mercy of the authorities is home to a variety of ethnic, linguistic, and cultural identities. Despite the richness of its…
Unveiling the Realities: Women’s Empowerment Challenges in Pakistan
Introduction: Unearthing the Challenge In the recent episode that unfolded within the hallowed halls of Pakistan’s parliament, an unsettling incident captured the nation’s attention. Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, took…
Eco racism in Peshawar
Environmental racism refers to the injustice observed towards low-income and minority communities who are the most vulnerable and easy targets of health hazards due to residing near landfills and toxic…
Amidst Religious Extremism: Christians as a Vulnerable Minority in Pakistan
On the 16th of August, a mob of religious extremists targeted the Christian community in the eastern part of Pakistan. They engaged in destructive actions, damaging multiple churches and setting…
Increasing Instances of Sexual and Domestic Violence in Sindh
The Ranipur incident has sent shockwaves across Sindh, calling into question the performance of the police and the dominance of influential religious and political leaders in our society. The brutal…
PTM’s loud and peaceful message in Islamabad
The Long March of 18th August, while successful in conveying the community’s message to the authorities, once again marks a dark chapter in the history of the state’s management of…
Pashtun Long March to Islamabad
There seems to be no respite to the Pashtun Community’s woes in the recent month. After many years of hard-won peace, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital Peshawar has become the main target…
Post 9/11 Structural Violence in Pakistan
Post 9/11 Structural Violence in Pakistan: A Gender-based psycho-social analysis. (Case study of Army Public School Peshawar incident) Though wars, terrorism, or structural violence carry a potential threat to the…
Missing Persons: The Long Road to Justice
Enforced disappearances or the issue of missing persons has long been a serious problem in Balochistan. According to various organizations working for Baloch missing persons, the number of Baloch missing…
Floods in Pakistan: Wake-up Call for the authorities
Recent rains in Pakistan left South Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan inundated. Specifically, they completely cut off Balochistan from the rest of the country. Approximately 1500 people are reported to have…
The Tragedy in Ziarat and the case of Missing Persons
In an unfortunate incident in Pakistan’s Balochistan, an officer was abducted by separatists and brutally killed in a rescue operation. Notwithstanding the deep sympathies with the officer who died young,…
Ethnic profiling of the Pashtuns
A few weeks ago, former police officer Rao Anwar spoke to a leading Pakistani media channel discussing his stance on the killing of Naquibullah Mehsud. A budding model from the…
Regime change in Pakistan: Political instability and suppression
Over the past few months, the political landscape in Pakistan stands completely transformed. Despite being elected in August 2018, Imran Khan – leader of PTI (Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf) was ousted from…
Durand Redux: Time to Acknowledge Pashtun Grievances
On 16 April, the border areas of Afghanistan (in Khost and Kunar provinces) were struck by deadly strikes that killed and injured over 30 people. The official details are yet…
Gwadar: A Reality Check
“The Crown Jewel of Pakistan”, as the term was coined for Gwadar by politicians in Pakistan and Balochistan, implied that Gwadar would be the jewel in the CPEC. The region…
Pashtuns Call for Justice
Ali Wazir, the central leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement and Pakistan’s elected member of the National Assembly, has been in jail for 15 months now. He was arrested from…
Attack on PTM leaders: Justice for Pashtun activists
The Pashtun community is protesting against repressive tactics that are prevalent in the Pashtun belt of Pakistan. On February 2, 2022, soldiers of the Pakistan Army reportedly fired bullets at…
Women’s Rights
From the last few years, due to the efforts of international and national organizations, women’s rights have drawn attention to many organizations, government bodies, and lawmaking agencies. Equality between men…
Ali Wazir: The Symbol of Pashtun Struggle
Prominent Pashtun Legislators Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar, who were elected to the Pakistani parliament through their relentless activism on human rights violations, continue to remain outspoken out against the…
The refugees of Kunduz
Note: Our consulting editor Jessica Kroner brings exclusive images of Afghan refugees who crossed Pakistan through the Chaman border. Unfortunately, they were turned back by the Pakistani authorities citing lack…
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan and recourse through international attention
According to reports by various human rights groups, approximately 1600 blasphemy cases have been filed in Pakistan since 1987, mostly against religious minority groups such as Christians, Ahmadiyas, Hindus and…
Sindh –A Province in turmoil
Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh is confronted by issues ranging from poor governance, lack of support to small and medium-sized farmers and a fragile regulatory framework. A study in contrasts…
Tribe of Kalash: The Last Kafir
Introduction: The Tribe of Kalash, also known as Kafir (non-believer) / Siyah Posh (Black Robed) approximately around 3,000 in number today, claim to be the descendants of Alexander’s army. However,…
Water Scarcity in South Asia: the cause for conflict or cooperation
Water is a basic human right because it is essential for human survival. Therefore, the provision and maintenance of accessible clean drinking water are central to a healthy and stable…
World Bank Report on Water Scarcity in Pakistan Emphasizes Severity of Problem
In 2019, the World Bank published its report on water scarcity and water security in Pakistan. These two terms refer to the water available to each person based on the…
State legislated persecution: The history of the Ahmadiyya in Pakistan
On November 9 2020, an Ahmedi man was killed in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. The incident followed the killing of an Ahmedi professor in the same city in October.…
A Comparative Analysis of Bangladesh and Pakistan: 50 years of freedom and progress
Imagine a world where Pakistan Army officials enjoy an extremely high quality of life, and on the very opposite corner of the street, an impoverished Bengali child whose parents were…
International Human Rights Day: Remembering Asma Jahangir, the humanitarian icon
This International Human Rights Day we remember Asma Jahangir (1952-2018), an exemplary lawyer who dedicated her life to contesting and defending human rights in her country Pakistan. Her activism, ranging…
Why Pakistan continues to be on FATF Grey List?
A few days before its full-scale review meeting, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – the global money-laundering watchdog – reprimanded Pakistan for its “meagre progress” in combatting terror financing…