The power of trust

THE Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has painted a grim picture of the state of human rights in the country in its latest annual report. In a press release, the organisation pointed out “a severe contraction of civic space, the erosion of judicial independence, and deepening insecurity” in 2025. This is akin to a civil-society charge sheet against state institutions. The report mentions how the “Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) registered 273 new cases [of missing persons] nationwide”. While 13 were traced to state agencies’ centres, 32 to prisons, and some individuals returned, many other individuals remained missing. Harsh legal and institutional mechanisms created a climate of fear and self-censorship while limiting public discourse. Amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, at the centre and in Balochistan, empowered LEAs to detain any citizen for up to three months without charge or judicial oversight, further undermining fundamental rights, due process and protection from arbitrary detentions. On World Press Freedom Day, the prime minister expressed his government’s commitment to protecting the freedom of the press while also stressing the importance of “credible journalism”. The president said, “A free, independent and diverse media is not a threat to a confident nation, rather a proof of one.” Meanwhile, media bodies and civil society organisations raised alarm over growing curbs on press freedom and the rising risks to journalists. Freedom Network cited the weaponisation of cybercrime laws as one of the most serious threats to media freedom in Pakistan. From April 2025 to March 2026, “at least 129 verified incidents of violations” were reported and included: “two murders, five cases of threat to murder, 58 legal cases (mostly Peca-invoked), 16 cases of assault, 11 cases of threats to harm and two cases of kidnappings”. Separately, civil society representatives issued an open letter to the PM, warning that “Pakistan’s media lands