January 2026
By Mateen Ali and Ahmed Saeed
The 1980s in Pakistan were spent under the shadow of military rule, as General Zia-ul-Haq’s regime weakened the Constitution, silenced dissent, and curtailed fundamental freedoms. Journalists were flogged in public, political workers arrested, and laws framed in the name of religion reduced women to second-class citizens. It was in this climate of repression that Asma Jahangir and her colleagues founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in 1986, transforming scattered resistance into an enduring institution. Decades later, as enforced disappearances, restrictions on free expression, and controversial laws continue to challenge democratic space, HRCP’s work remains a powerful reminder that the struggle for human rights is not a single battle, but a continuous act of resistance.