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Amnesty tells Congress Baloch activists, Ahmadis face arrests, disappearances and blasphemy-linked violence in Pakistan
Summary
Amnesty International and other witnesses told a congressional panel that Baloch activists have been forcibly disappeared, that provincial laws allow extended detention, and that Pakistan's blasphemy laws and discrimination against Ahmadis have led to arrests, killings and institutionalized restrictions on religious minorities.
Ben Linden of Amnesty International told the commission that Baloch activists faced a campaign of enforced disappearances and that amendments to provincial law in Balochistan permit prolonged detention without charge. "Doctor Marang Baluch and other activists have not been given due process and should be freed," Linden said.
Linden described recent episodes in which detained Baloch activists were relocated without family access and cited an abduction followed by the discovery of a bullet-riddled body as part of a pattern of extrajudicial violence.
On religious freedom, witnesses said Pakistan’s penal code and practice continue to discriminate against the Ahmadi community. Linden said Ahmadis were prevented from identifying as Muslim in public and that local officials had forced affidavits barring Eid prayers. He told the commission that three Ahmadis had been killed since mid-April and that local authorities had in some cases detained Ahmadis, including children, outside places of worship.
Panelists highlighted concerns about blasphemy law enforcement: Linden said 344 new blasphemy cases were opened in 2024 alone and that 10 people accused of blasphemy were extrajudicially killed. He described a chilling effect on the ability of accused persons to defend themselves and cited calls for repeal of laws that discriminate against Ahmadis and for other protections.
Witnesses urged Congress to press Pakistani authorities to release detainees held for peaceful protest, halt enforced disappearances, and repeal or amend laws that enable religious discrimination and impunity.
