Political Dissent Suppressed by State Crackdowns in Pakistan

Photo: Encaged - Mustafa Mohsin

Pakistan's state apparatus has deployed systematic crackdowns against political dissent, targeting opposition leaders, activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens through enforced disappearances, mass arrests, fabricated sedition charges, and military court prosecutions.[1] Since 2022, the pace of repression has accelerated dramatically following the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, with security agencies conducting sweeping operations against his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and civil society voices critical of the military establishment.[2]

Enforced Disappearances

Pakistan's security services — principally the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence — have operated a system of enforced disappearances for over two decades.[3] Victims are typically detained without charge, held incommunicado at undisclosed locations, and subjected to torture. Families are denied information about the fate or whereabouts of their loved ones for months or years. The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, established in 2011, has recorded over 7,000 cases — a figure widely considered a dramatic undercount given the barriers to reporting.[4]

Balochistan is the epicentre of enforced disappearances, where nationalist activists, students, journalists, and anyone perceived to sympathise with separatist movements face abduction by security forces.[5] Families of the disappeared — the "voice of Baloch missing persons" movement led largely by women — have staged sit-ins and long marches to Islamabad demanding accountability, facing harassment and arrest themselves.

"My son was taken from outside our home by men in plain clothes. We have not seen him in four years. The courts say they cannot help. The Commission says they are investigating. Nobody tells us anything."
Mother of a disappeared Baloch student, testimony to Human Rights Watch, 2023

Crackdown on PTI and Opposition

Following Imran Khan's removal from office in April 2022 and his subsequent arrest in May 2023, Pakistani authorities launched one of the largest political persecution campaigns in the country's history.[6] Over 10,000 PTI supporters were arrested in the days following May 9 protests, during which government and military installations were attacked. While some violence did occur, human rights organisations documented mass arbitrary arrests of individuals with no involvement in any violence — including women, elderly persons, and minors.[7]

Sedition and Anti-Terror Laws as Tools of Repression

Pakistan's Penal Code retains colonial-era sedition provisions (Section 124-A) that criminalise "disaffection" toward the government, carrying penalties of up to life imprisonment.[8] These provisions have been used systematically against journalists, bloggers, academics, and civil society activists. Alongside sedition, the Anti-Terrorism Act (1997) and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA, 2016) have been weaponised to silence online dissent — social media posts critical of the military or government can result in prosecution under cybercrime laws carrying multi-year sentences.[9]

Media Suppression and Journalist Persecution

Pakistan consistently ranks among the most dangerous countries for journalists in Asia. Reporters covering military operations, enforced disappearances, or PTI-related events face harassment, abduction, physical attacks, and prosecution.[10] The media regulator PEMRA has repeatedly suspended television channels for airing coverage deemed critical of the military establishment. In 2023–2024, Geo News and ARY News both faced temporary shutdown orders. Social media platforms including X (Twitter) and YouTube have been blocked or throttled during periods of political tension.[11]

"Pakistan's information environment has been systematically degraded. Journalists self-censor, editors kill stories, and outlets operate under constant threat of licence revocation."
Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan Country Report 2024

International Response

The UN Human Rights Committee, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists have all issued urgent calls for Pakistan to cease the use of military courts for civilians, end enforced disappearances, and repeal or substantially reform its sedition and cybercrime laws.[12] The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued multiple opinions declaring individuals' detention unlawful. Pakistan has generally rejected these findings, invoking national security exceptions.