HRCP slams Pakistan's failing governance in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa amid rising violence and rights abuses

Lahore [Pakistan], November 10 (ANI) The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has voiced grave concern over the escalating security breakdown and worsening human rights landscape in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), describing the province as gripped by fear, lawlessness, and the weakening of civilian authority, as reported by The Express Tribune.

According to The Express Tribune, the HRCP's latest fact-finding report, "Caught in the Crossfire," paints a troubling picture of Pakistan's internal security challenges. The report discloses that almost two-thirds of all terrorist incidents reported nationwide in 2025 took place in K-P, with security forces and law enforcement personnel being the primary targets.

The HRCP notes that the merged districts, previously the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), remain at the centre of the violence. Civilians in these regions continue to suffer from widespread insecurity, recurring displacement, and limited access to justice. The report highlights that intelligence-based operations, often conducted without civilian oversight, have become a disturbing norm, sidelining police officers and local administrators from crucial decision-making processes related to law and order.

Testimonies from affected residents, detailed in the HRCP's report, reveal growing resentment over arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the continued operation of internment centres under the controversial Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance, 2019.

The report further warns that journalists covering these sensitive issues face systematic intimidation, censorship, and physical attacks, which have crippled freedom of the press and transparency in the province. HRCP's findings show the unresolved sectarian and tribal rifts in Kurram, severe livelihood disruptions due to ongoing road blockades, and widespread dissatisfaction over the opaque management of mining and development revenues in the region, as highlighted by The Express Tribune.

In its conclusion, the HRCP calls on the federal and provincial governments to restore civilian control, ensure accountability for human rights abuses, and prioritise the protection of citizens' lives and liberties. The findings expose a deepening governance crisis in Pakistan, one that reflects the state's failure to uphold the rule of law and safeguard human rights in conflict-hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)

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