• The judicial ouster of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, attacks on civilians by militant groups, growing electricity shortages, and rising food and fuel prices all contributed to turbulence in Pakistan. Religious minorities – such as the Shia-Muslim Hazara community – were killed in large numbers with no one held to account. The military dominated politics in Pakistan and operated above the law. A number of terrorism suspects and the military’s opponents were forcibly disappeared. The police committed widespread abuses, including torturing criminal suspects and committing extrajudicial killings, while law enforcement broke down in the face of attacks by armed militant groups. Abuses by state security forces and militant groups worsened in mineral-rich Balochistan.
  • Residents stand among rubble and debris at the site of Tuesday's bomb attack that killed six people in Quetta, Pakistan, April 24, 2013.
    Pakistan’s interim government should take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of candidates and political party activists at risk of attack from the Taliban and other militant groups.

Reports

Pakistan