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Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Citizenship and Country Documents

US Government Reports Foreign Government Reports
  • UK Home Office Country Information and Guidance Reports
    • Pakistan: Background information, including internal relocation -  June 2020
    • Pakistan: Documentation - March 2020
  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • ZZZ201290.E - Bangladesh, Canada, Pakistan, United Kingdom, and United States: Registration procedures and documents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ) [Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC), Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMA)] in Canada, the US and the UK, particularly for Ahmadis of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin (2020–December 2022) - Jan. 2023
    • ZZZ200607.E - Jordan and Palestine: Documents issued to stateless Palestinians, including yellow cards, green cards, and blue cards; requirements and procedures for stateless Palestinians to acquire Jordanian passports; the distinction between passports with and without a national number; loss of Jordanian passport; entry procedures for Palestinians holding Palestinian Authority (PA) passports; sponsorship by Jordanian citizens of their spouses (2018–October 2022) - Nov. 2022
    • PAK200448.E - Pakistan: Sworn affidavits, including appearance and security features, requirements and procedure to obtain, and cost (2018–March 2021) - April 2021
    • PAK106220.E - Pakistan: The Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), the Smart National Identity Card (SNIC), and the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP), including issuance procedures, content, validity, and purpose (2017-December 2018) - Jan 2019
    • PAK106223.E - Pakistan: Whether First Information Reports (FIRs) include caste information; whether FIRs can be submitted online (2017-December 2018) - Jan 2019
    • PAK106044.E - Pakistan: Requirements and procedures to obtain a Family Registration Certificate (FRC), including from abroad; information contained on the FRC, including whether names of family members who are deceased or reside abroad appear on the document (2016-January 2018) - Jan. 2018
    • PAK106026.E - Pakistan: Tenant registration systems, including implementation; whether authorities share information on tenant registration (2015-December 2017) - Jan. 2018
    • PAK105715.E - Pakistan: Procedures to obtain a driver's license; appearance of driver's licenses (2013-January 2017) - Jan 2017
    • PAK105367.E - Pakistan: Whether a former Pakistani citizen can reaquire his/her Pakistani citizenship, including requirements and procedures (2012- November 2015) - December 2015
    • PAK105021.E  - Pakistan: Fraudulent documents, including non-identity documents such as academic qualification documents, travel documents, First Information Requests (FIRs), land ownership titles and newspaper articles, and identity documents including identity cards and birth certificates; methods of obtaining fraudulent documents and assessing the credibility of fraudulent documents(2012-December 2014) - Jan. 2015
    • PAK104630.E - Validity period of a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), particularly whether CNICs for adults and seniors can have a date of issue where the day and month of the date of issue are different from the day and month of the expiration date - October 2013
    • PAK104519.E - Process for the registration of births, particularly in Karachi; whether children born in 2009 and 2010 in Karachi would be registered with both a District Municipal Corporation (DMC) and a Union Council Administration (UCA), with each issuing separate certificates with different registration numbers and details; type of certificate or registration extract issued (2009-2010) - July 2013

International Government Organization Reports

  • European Union Agency for Asylum
    • COI Query - Pakistan - ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’ (IFRP) - Dec. 2023
      1. Implementation of the ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’
      2. Profile of persons subject to the IFRP
      3. Status of registered Afghans in Pakistan (PoR and ACC cardholders) 

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Children

US Government Reports
  • US Department of Labor - Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - 2022, 2021, 2020
Non Government Organization Reports
  • Amnesty International Reports
    • Report on executions of persons who were children at the rime of the offence (covering 1990 - 2022) -  May 2023
  • Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers - Child Soldiers Global Report - 2008
  • Human Rights Watch Report

International Government Organization Reports

  • EASO Country of Origin Information - COI QUERY - Recruitment by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa - Dec. 2018

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Corruption

  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK103867.E - Police corruption; the authorities responsible for receiving complaints against the police, including their effectiveness; the procedures to submit a complaint; police training programs - Nov. 2011

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Disabilities

Elections

US Government Reports

  • Congressional Research Services
    • Pakistan’s Domestic Political Setting - Nov. 2023

Non-Government Reports

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Ethnic Groups / Race

Non-Government Organization Reports
  • Minority Rights Group International
    • State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - 2016
    • Minority and Indigenous Trends:  Pakistan: ‘The virus has turned every facet of life upside down’ — privacy and data protection concerns in the wake of Covid-19 - 2020
    • South Asia State of Minorities Report 2020:  Minorities and Shrinking Civil Space – Nov. 2020
  • World Directory of Minorities - Overview

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Ethnic Groups / Race - Baluchis (Baloch)

Non-Government Organization Reports 

  • Human Rights Watch
    • "We are the Walking Dead": Killings of Shia Hazaras in Balochistan, Pakistan -June 2014
    • We can torture, kill, or keep you for years” - Enforced disappearances by Pakistan security forces in Balochistan - July  2011
    • Their future is at stake - Attacks on teachers and schools in Pakistan’s Balochistan province - Dec. 2010

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Ethnic Groups / Race - Hazaras

Foreign Government Reports
  • UK Border Agency Country of Origins Information (COI) Report
Non-Government Organization Reports
  • Ireland Documentation Center
    • Treatment of Hazara's in Pakistan - Apr. 2012

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Ethnic Groups / Race - Mohajirs

Foreign Government Reports

  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK104126.E - Situation and treatment of Muhajirs, particularly in Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad; situation and treatment of members of the Pakistan People's Party in Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad; whether the Muttahida Qaumi Movement targets Pakistan People's Party members in these cities - July 2012

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Gender

Foreign Government Reports
  • UK Home Office
    • Country Policy and Information Note 
      • Pakistan: Women fearing gender based harm / violence -  Nov 2022
  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK106392.E - Pakistan: Domestic violence, involving a spouse or other family members; legislation; protection and support services available to victims (2017-January 2020) - Feb. 2020
    • PAK106221.FE - Pakistan: Domestic violence in intercaste marriages; state protection and support services for victims (2015-January 2019) - Jan 2019
    • PAK105023.E - Pakistan: Recourse and resources available to female victims of violence in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore (2013-December 2014) - Jan. 2015
    • PAK104701.E - Practice of polygamy, including legislation; rights of the first wife versus the second, including whether she has the right to refuse a second wife (2011-2013) - December 2013
International Government Organization Reports
  • European Union Agency for Asylum - COI QUERY - Pakistan - Survivors of Sexual Violence in Punjab Province - Apr. 2023
    1. Treatment of female survivors of sexual violence, in particular rape, by society and family members in the Punjab province (January 2021-March 2023)

    2. Instances of sexual violence against Christian women in the Punjab province, with a focus on the city of Multan (January 2015-March 2023)

Non-Governmental Organization Reports

  • Human Rights Watch Report
    • “Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?” Barriers to Girls’ Education in Pakistan - Nov 2018
    • Crime or Custom?: Violence Against Women in Pakistan - 1999

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Human Rights

US Government Reports Foreign Government Reports
  • UK Home Office Country Information and Guidance Reports
    • Pakistan: Actors of protection - Apr. 2023
    • Pakistan: Internal relocation - Apr. 2023
    • Pakistan: Actors of protection – Human rights abuses by security forces - June 2020
  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK200385.E - Pakistan: The socio-economic situation, including ethnic and religious composition, and access to employment, housing, education, and social and health services, particularly in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, and Hyderabad (2018–December 2020) - Dec. 2020
    • PAK103866.E - Criminal activity and violence in Karachi perpetrated or directed by political, ethnic or religious groups, including the state's response - Dec. 2011
    • PAK103865.E - The impact of the 2010 and 2011 floods, including o n mobility, reconstruction, housing and shelter, employment and access to food - Dec. 2011

Intergovernmental Organization Reports

  • UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - UNHCR Position on Returns to Gaza - Mar. 2022

Non-Government Organization Reports

  • Amnesty International Annual Reports - Death Sentences and Executions - 2020 
  • Amnesty International Profile
    • Pakistan: A burning emergency: Extreme heat and the right to health in Pakistan - June 2023
    • Asia and the Pacific: “Pandemic or not, we have the right to live”: The urgent need to address structural barriers undermining transgender people’s rights across Asia and the Pacific - Nov. 2022
    • Pakistan: Widespread Human Rights Violations Continue Amnesty International Submission for the UN Universal Periodic Review – 28th Session of the UPR Working Group, November 2017 - March 2017
  • Freedom House -
    • Freedom in the World - 2022
  • Freedom House - Transnational Repression Report - 2021
  • Human Rights Watch -  2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011
  • Human Rights Watch Report
    • “No Room to Bargain” Unfair and Abusive Labor Practices in Pakistan - Jan. 2019
    • "Attacks on Students, Teachers, and Schools in Pakistan - March 2017
    • Soiled Hands: The Pakistan Army's Repression of the Punjab Farmers' Movement - 2004
    • Contemporary Forms of Slavery in Pakistan - 1995
    • Persecuted Minorities and Writers in Pakistan
    • Double Jeopardy: Police Abuse of Women in Pakistan - 1992
  • International Crisis Group

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Justice System

Foreign Government Reports
  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK201758.E - Honour killings, including prevalence in different regions of the country and the profiles of individuals targeted; legislation; police and state response; state protection for survivors and surviving family members (2020-December 2023) - Jan. 2024
    • PAK201286.E - Pakistan: Prison conditions, including the treatment of prisoners (2020–December 2022) - Dec. 2023
    • PAK200857.E - Pakistan: Ability of the police and non-state actors to track and trace individuals across Pakistan; databases and methods of tracking individuals, including the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), tenant registration system and criminal record checks; information sharing between police, security and airport officials; instances when an individual is declared a person of interest by the authorities and travel restrictions placed upon them (2016–December 2022) - Dec. 2022
    • PAK200856.E - Pakistan: Police corruption and procedures to file a complaint against the police, including authorities responsible for receiving complaints; instances of successful complaint cases; police record keeping procedures (2019–December 2022) - Dec. 2022
    • PAK105672.E - Pakistan: Information on state efforts to prosecute terrorist groups, including through special courts; activities to combat and prosecute Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) (2015-December 2016) - Jan. 2017
    • PAK103607.E - Requirements of a valid arrest warrant; whether these requirements are adhered to in practice - Oct. 2010
Non Government Organization Reports
  • Amnesty International Profiles
    • Prisoners of the Pandemic:  The Right To Health and Covid-19 In Pakistan’s Detention Facilities – Dec. 2020
  • Human Rights Watch Report
    • “This Crooked System” - Police Abuse and Reform in Pakistan - Sept 2016
    • "What Are Your Doing Here?" Police Abuses Against Afghans in Pakistan - Nov 2015
    • Destroying legality - Pakistan’s crackdown on lawyers and judges - Dec. 2007
    • Prison Bound: The Denial of Juvenile Justice in Pakistan - 1999
  • International Crisis Group 

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Law

US Government Reports

  • United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
    • Violating Rights – Enforcing the World’s Blasphemy Laws – Dec. 2020

Foreign Government Reports

  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK104260.E - Blasphemy laws, including legislation, implementation, related violence, reform, and state response - Jan. 2013
    • PAK103864.E - The Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act, 2006 and its implementation - Nov. 2011

Non-Government Reports

  • Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD)

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Maps

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Medical Availability

Foreign Government Reports
  • UK Home Office Country Information and Guidance Reports
    • Healthcare and medical treatment - July 2024
    • Pakistan: Background information- Medical and healthcare Provisions -  Sept. 2020
  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK101756.E - Type of facility a victim of crime would use for medical treatment; medical documentation for victims of crime; procedures for treating victims of crime at private hospitals; the circumstances under which a private hospital would be required to transfer an injured patient to a public hospital (where a medico-legal team could perform an investigation) - Nov. 2006

Non-Government Organization Reports 

  • Amnesty International
    • Asia and the Pacific: “Pandemic or not, we have the right to live”: The urgent need to address structural barriers undermining transgender people’s rights across Asia and the Pacific - Nov. 2022
  • International Crisis Group

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Political Figures and Parties

Foreign Government Reports
  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK201759.E - Political situation, including events related the removal and arrest of Prime Minister Imran Khan; political parties and alliances (2022–December 2023) - Jan. 2024
    • PAK105814.E - Pakistan: The Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party (JKNAP), including history, structure, areas of operation, and activities; incidents of violence committed by party members; treatment of party members by authorities (2004-2016) - June 2017
    • PAK103657.FE - The Jammu Kashmir People's National Party (JKPNP), including its history, its members, the address of its regional offices, its principles, and its symbols; the treatment of members of the JKPNP by the general population, Pakistani authorities, nationalist religious groups, and other groups; the relationship between the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) and other groups seeking Kashmir's independence - Jan. 2011
Non-Governmental Organization Report
  • International Crisis Group

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Refugees / IDPs

Non-Government Organization Reports
  • Human Rights Watch Report
    • Pakistan Coercion, UN Complicity - The Mass Forced Return of Afghan Refugees - Feb. 2017
    • What Are Your Doing Here?" Police Abuses Against Afghans in Pakistan - Nov 2015
    • Closed Door Policy: Afghan Refugees in Pakistan and Iran - Feb. 2022
  • Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
    • Severity of internal displacement Report - Nov. 2021
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
    • Fact sheet on the repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan (as of 7 December 2023) - Dec. 2023

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Religion

US Government Reports Foreign Government Reports
  • UK Home Office Country Information and Guidance Reports
  • Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD)
  • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
    • PAK201761.E - Situation and treatment of Shia [Shi'a, Shi'i, Shiite] Muslims, including Hazaras and Turi, particularly in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and Hyderabad; treatment of Shia returnees and whether they are targeted for extortion and blasphemy charges upon their return to Pakistan; state response to violence against Shias (2020–December 2023) - Jan. 2024
    • PAK201285.E - Pakistan: Situation and treatment of Shia [Shi'a, Shi'i, Shiite] Muslims, including Hazaras and Turi, particularly in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and Hyderabad; state response to violence against Shias (2020–December 2022) - Jan.2023
    • PAK200386.E - Pakistan: Fatwas, particularly those issued against members of the Shia [Shi'a, Shi'i, Shiite] community, including their scope (local or national), format (written or verbal) and dissemination, as well as links between the centres issuing them; religious complaints recorded in police stations (2018–December 2020) - Jan. 2021
    • PAK200387.E - Pakistan: Ahmadis [Ahmadiyyas, Ahmadiyas, Ahmadiyyahs, Ahmaddiyas], including the distinction between the Lahore group and others, their treatment by society and the authorities; state protection (2018–December 2020) -  Dec. 2020
    • ZZZ200425.E - Canada and Pakistan: The Ontario Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam (Lahore) (OAAII(L)) organization in Toronto and how they are different from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada (AMJ Canada [AMJC]) in Maple; the registration process and the process both organizations carry out to determine if someone is a genuine Ahmadi (2018–November 2020) – Dec. 2020
    • PAK200384.E - Pakistan: Differences between Shia [Shi'a, Shi'i] and Sunni Muslims; procedure to convert to Shi'ism; the situation and treatment of Shia Muslims by society and authorities, particularly in major cities (Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Hyderabad); state response (2018–November 2020) – Dec. 2020
    • PAK105713.E - Pakistan: Religious and ethnic groups in Rabwah, including population size and regional distribution; availability of employment and housing for Ahmadis; situation of Ahmadis, including social discrimination (2015-2016) - Jan. 2017
    • PAK104254.E - The situation of Ahmadis, including legal status and rights with regards to political participation, education, and employment; societal and governmental attitudes toward Ahmadis - Jan. 2013 (PDF)
Non-Governmental Organization Report
  • Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD)
    • Pakistan: Religious Minorities - Mar. 2021
    • Pakistan: 5th UNHCR Country of Origin Information Workshop Final Report - Religious Minorities - May 2000
  • Ireland Documentation Center
    • Pakistan - Information on Sunni-Shia conflict including: occurrence in Punjab; occurrence nationwide; & available state protection - Jan 2020
    • Pakistan: Information on blasphemy including: laws, treatment of accused by state and non-state actors and available state protection - October 2015
    • Information required on a Shia organization called Tehreak Jafferiya - January 2014

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    Sexual Orientation

    US Government Reports
    • U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom - Factsheet on Shari’a and LGBTI Persons – March 2021
    Foreign Government Reports
    • UK Home Office - Country Information and Guidance Reports
      • Sexual orientation and gender identity - April 2022
    • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
      • PAK106219.E - Pakistan: Treatment of sexual and gender minorities by society and authorities; state protection and support services available (2017-January 2019) - Jan 2019

    Non-Government Organization Reports

    • Amnesty International 
      • Asia and the Pacific: “Pandemic or not, we have the right to live”: The urgent need to address structural barriers undermining transgender people’s rights across Asia and the Pacific - Nov. 2022

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    Specific Country Issues - Kashmir

    Foreign Government Report

    • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
      • PAK105578.E - Pakistan: The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), including its objectives, leaders, and affiliations; treatment by authorities and society; situation near the Line of Control (2012 - July 2016) - July 2016
    Non-Governmental Organization Report
    • Ireland Documentation Center
      • Information on the Jammu Kashmir Peoples National Party/JKPNP including: involvement in rallies/demonstrations between 2007 & 2014; treatment of members by police/ISI - Sept 2014
    • Human Rights Watch Report
      • "With Friends Like These…" Human Rights Violations in Azad Kashmir - Sept. 2006
      • Behind the Kashmir Conflict: Abuses by Indian Security Forces and Militant Groups Continue - July 1999

    Intergovernmental Reports

    • European Asylum Support Office
      • COI QUERY – PAKISTAN: Political developments, human rights and security situation in Pakistan administered Kashmir between 1 July 2020-31 July  – Aug. 2021

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    Specific Country Issues - Armed Conflict

    US Government Reports

    • Congressional Research Services
      • Terrorist and Other Militant Groups in Pakistan - Dec. 2023

    Foreign Government Reports

    • UK Home Office - Country Information and Guidance Reports
    • Australian Government Refugee Review Tribunal
      • PAK39526 - Jan. 2012
        1. What evidence is there of individuals who are family members of members of the Pakistani army being targeted for harm by fundamentalist militant groups throughout Pakistan?
    • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
      • PAK200382.E - Pakistan: Lashkar-e-Jhangvi [Lashkar-i-Jhangvi] (LeJ), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan [Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan] (SSP) / Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat [Ahl-e-Sunnat-wal-Jamaat] (ASWJ) and Tehrik-i-Taliban [Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistani Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban] (TTP) militant groups, including leadership, structure, objectives, activities, areas of operation and capacity to track the persons they target; relationships between these groups; state response (2018–December 2020) – Dec. 2020

    Non-Governmental Organization Report

    • International Crisis Group
      • Pakistan: Stoking the Fire in Karachi - February 2017
      • Pakistan's Jihadist Heartland: Southern Punjab - May 2016

    Intergovernmental Organization Reports

    • European Asylum Support Office 
      • Information on the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including areas of operation; treatment of Shia Muslims and (Shia) educators by the TTP, particularly in Punjab; availability of state protection for people perceived as opposing the TTP, particularly in Punjab - Nov. 2023
      • Country of Origins Information Report - Pakistan: Security Situation - Oct. 2021
    • European Union Agency for Asylum
      • COI Focus Pakistan - Security situation - June 2024

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    Specific Country Issues - Treatment of Returnees

    Non-Available

    Specific Country Issues - Internal Relocation

    Non-Available

    Speech / Press / Internet

    Non-Government Organization Reports
    • Amnesty International - "A Bullet Has Been Chosen For You" - Attacks On Journalists In Pakistan - April 2014
    • Freedom House

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    Timeline

     

    Trafficking

    US Government Reports

    Intergovernmental Organization Reports

    • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - Global Report on Trafficking in Persons - South Asia - 2009

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    Terrorism

    US Government Reports

    Foreign Government Reports

    • Canada Responses to Information Requests (RIRs)
      • PAK200383.E - Pakistan: Individuals and institutions, including polio vaccine workers, targeted by militant groups; individuals who are considered "high profile" targets (2018–December 2020) - Dec. 2020
      • PAK105672.E - Pakistan: Information on state efforts to prosecute terrorist groups, including through special courts; activities to combat and prosecute Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) (2015-December 2016) - Jan. 2017

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    Torture

     

    Updated July 10, 2024