Asylum Research Centre Pakistan: Country Report /shutterstock.com The situa�on in Pakistan Lukasz Stefanski June 2015 (COI up to 20 February 2015) Cover photo © 20 February 2015 (published June 2015) Pakistan Country Report Explanatory Note Sources and databases consulted List of Acronyms CONTENTS 1. Background Information 1.1. Status of tribal areas 1.1.1. Map of Pakistan 1.1.2. Status in law of the FATA and governance arrangements under the Pakistani Constitution 1.1.3. Status in law of the PATA and governance arrangements under the Pakistani Constitution 1.2. General overview of ethnic and linguistic groups 1.3. Overview of the present government structures 1.3.1. Government structures and political system 1.3.2. Overview of main political parties 1.3.3. The judicial system, including the use of tribal justice mechanisms and the application of Islamic law 1.3.4. Characteristics of the government and state institutions 1.3.4.1. Corruption 1.3.4.2. Professionalism of civil service 1.3.5. Role of the military in governance 1.4. Overview of current socio-economic issues 1.4.1. Rising food prices and food security 1.4.2. Petrol crisis and electricity shortages 1.4.3. Unemployment 2. Main Political Developments (since June 2013) 2.1. Current political landscape 2.2. Overview of major political developments since June 2013, including: 2.2.1. May 2013: General elections 2.2.2. August-December 2014: Opposition protests organised by Pakistan Tekreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) 2.2.3. Former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf 2.3. Status of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) [also known as the Commission of Inquiry for Missing Persons (CIMP)] 2.4. Anti-terrorism operations 2.4.1. All Parties Conference (APC) (December 2014) 2.4.2. The National Action Plan (also known as the National Plan of Action) (December 2014) 3. Security Situation/Developments (since June 2013) 3.1. Overview of the current security situation 3.1.1. Post June 2013 3.1.1.1. Balochistan (2013) 1 3.1.1.2. FATA (2013) 3.1.1.3. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2013) 3.1.1.4. Punjab (2013) 3.1.1.5. Sindh (2013) 3.1.2. 2014 3.1.2.1. Balochistan (2014) 3.1.2.2. FATA (2014) 3.1.2.3. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2014) 3.1.2.4. Punjab (2014) 3.1.2.5. Sindh (2014) 3.1.3. 2015 (until 20th February 2015) 3.1.3.1. Balochistan (2015) 3.1.3.2. FATA (2015) 3.1.3.3. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2015) 3.1.3.4. Punjab (2015) 3.1.3.5. Sindh (2015) 3.2. Overview of the main armed groups operating in Pakistan 3.2.1. Ethnic Baloch armed groups 3.2.2. Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ) 3.2.3. Pakistani Taliban – Tehrik-r Taliban Pakistan (TTP) 3.2.4. Criminal gangs 3.2.5. Foreign militants in Pakistan 3.2.5.1. Haqqani Network 3.2.5.2. Islamic State (IS) 3.2.5.3. Uzbek Militants 3.2.5.4. Tajik Militants 3.2.5.5. Al-Qa’ida (AQ) 3.3. Overview of human rights abuses by non-state armed groups 3.3.1. Occupying humanitarian space and forced recruitment 3.3.2. Forced displacement 3.3.3. Land confiscations 3.3.4. Arbitrary taxation and extortion 3.3.5. Attacks on education 3.3.6. Abductions and kidnappings 3.3.7. Politically motivated attacks on individuals 3.3.7.1. Police and security forces 3.3.7.2. Polio vaccination workers and their police escorts 3.3.7.3. Journalists 4. Security Forces 4.1. General information on security forces 4.1.1. Armed forces 4.1.2. Paramilitary forces 4.1.3. Intelligence services 4.1.4. Police 4.2. Overview of issues surrounding security forces 4.2.1. Effectiveness of law enforcement in the face of terror attacks 4.2.2. Effectiveness of the police, particularly investigation and prosecution of terrorism cases 4.2.3. Forced recruitment by government forces 4.2.4. Treatment of military deserters 2 4.2.5. Human rights violations by the security forces 4.2.5.1. Extrajudicial killings 4.2.5.2. Enforced disappearances 4.2.5.3. Torture 4.2.5.4. Forced displacement 5. Rule of Law / Administration of Justice 5.1. Judicial independence 5.2. Access to fair trial 5.2.1. Witness protection 5.3. Torture and ill-treatment of criminal suspects 5.4. Impunity for extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and other human rights violations by state actors 5.5. Revival of the use of the death penalty 5.6. Constitutional amendment: Use of anti-terrorism legislation in ordinary criminal cases/military courts to try civilians 5.7. Due process 5.8. Prison conditions 5.8.1. Deaths in custody 5.8.2. Internment camps for suspected militants 6. Human Rights Issues 6.1. Citizenship/Nationality 6.1.1. Domestic legal framework (Constitution and legislation) 6.1.2. Citizenship and identity documentation 6.2. Ethnicity 6.2.1. Domestic legal framework (Constitution and legislation) 6.2.2. Treatment of ethnic groups / ethnic minorities in practice 6.3. Freedom of Expression and Association 6.3.1. Domestic legal framework (Constitution and legislation) 6.3.2. Treatment of (actual and perceived) members and supporters of political opposition parties and political activists 6.3.3. Treatment of other perceived political opponents 6.3.3.1. Civil society and human rights defenders 6.3.3.2. Humanitarian aid workers 6.3.3.3. Protestors 6.3.3.4. Trade union activists 6.3.4. Treatment of journalists and other media professionals 6.3.4.1. Bloggers 6.4. Women and Children 6.4.1. Domestic legal framework (Constitution and legislation) 6.4.2. Overview of current issues regarding women and children 6.4.2.1. Rape and other forms of sexual violence 6.4.2.2. Honour crimes 6.4.2.3. Acid attacks 6.4.2.4. Domestic violence 6.4.2.5. Forced marriage 6.4.2.6. State response to violence against women 3 6.4.2.6.1. Availability of shelters and services 6.4.3. Economic situation of women 6.4.4. Situation of children 6.4.4.1. Child labour 6.4.4.2. Recruitment of children for military means 6.4.4.3. Violence against children (excluding conflict-related violence) 6.4.4.4. Access to education 6.5. Freedom of Movement 6.5.1. Domestic legal framework (Constitution and legislation) 6.5.2. Imposition of travel restrictions for certain groups and in certain areas, including documentation needed for internal travel 6.5.3. Treatment of persons returning from abroad 6.5.4. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) 6.6. Trafficking of persons (internal and external) 6.6.1. Domestic legal framework (Constitution and legislation) 6.6.2. Prevalence of trafficking 6.6.3. State response to trafficking of persons 6.6.4. Child trafficking (prevalence & state response) 4 Explanatory Note This report presents country of origin information (COI) on Pakistan up to 20th February 2015 on issues of relevance in refugee status determination for Pakistani nationals, not including the Pakistan-administered Kashmir region. COI specifically relevant for the assessment of religion-based claims and claims based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity has not been included. The COI presented is illustrative, but not exhaustive of the information available in the public domain, nor is it determinative of any individual human rights or asylum claim. All sources are publicly available and a direct hyperlink has been provided. A list of sources and databases consulted is also provided, to enable users to conduct further research and to conduct source assessments. Research focused on events which have occurred since June 2013 (and post the publication of Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD), Pakistan: COI Compilation, June 2013) and most sources were accessed between February and April 2015. Annual reports covering events from 2014 published after 16 February 2015 by Amnesty International, Center for Research & Security Studies (CRSS), Freedom House, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been included given that their reporting periods pre-date the cut-off point for research (accessed in June 2015). In certain noted sections of this report, COI has been included that was identified in the June 2013 ACCORD report, reproduced with permission from the authors. This document is intended to be used as a tool to help to identify relevant COI and the COI referred to in this report can be considered by decision makers in assessing asylum applications and appeals. However, this document should not be submitted in full or in isolation as evidence to refugee decision making authorities. Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy, the authors accept no responsibility for any errors included in this report. 5 Sources and databases consulted Not all of the sources listed here have been consulted for each issue addressed in the report. Additional sources to those individually listed were consulted via database searches. This non- exhaustive list is intended to assist in further case-specific research. To find out more about an organisation, view the ‘About Us’ tab of a source’s website. Databases Child Rights International Network European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI) Relief Web UNHCR Refworld Sources Acid Survivors Foundation, Pakistan Amnesty International [Pakistan pages] Anti Trafficking Legal Project (ATLeP) Article 19 Asia Society Asian Human Rights Commission [Pakistan pages] Asian Legal Resource Centre Aurat Foundation Brookings Institution Afghanistan Index (includes selected data on Pakistan) Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Center for Research & Security Studies (CRSS) – Pakistan Conflict Tracker Child Soldiers International CIA World Factbook [Pakistan pages] Committee to Protect Journalists [Pakistan pages] Council on Foreign