Pakistan’s ‘Global Freedom’ score declines for 19th consecutive year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is listed among the nations that experienced a decline in global freedom, marking the 19th consecutive year of decline worldwide, according to a report published by Freedom House.

Pakistan suffered a further blow with Freedom House demoting its freedom status to “partly free,” marking a three-point fall in political rights and civil liberties conditions.

According to the report, “Sixty countries, including Pakistan, have suffered a decline in political rights and civil liberties, while only thirty-four made some improvement.”

The other countries that saw a deterioration include Kuwait, Tunisia, El Salvador, Gaza, Sudan, Georgia, India, Lebanon, Niger, Namibia, Haiti, and Madagascar.

Whereas, the countries that gained improvements are Botswana, Fiji, Somaliland, Sri Lanka, Syria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and India illegally occupied Kashmir.

Pakistan’s decline in the freedom score is attributed to various factors, such as violence and repression against political opponents during elections, unending armed conflicts, and the rise of authoritarian practices.

Such factors have impeded security, denied the exercise of basic freedoms, and rendered Pakistan unsafe and unfree.

Electoral violence and authoritarian attempts to curtail the choices of voters plagued elections held in Pakistan in 2024, as per the report. Ongoing conflicts in Pakistan, such as the Balochistan insurgency and the Taliban insurgency, contributed to the decline of freedom.

The report goes on to note that the Pakistan government has been condemned for its handling of human rights issues including the enforced disappearance of activists and journalists, and the suppression of freedom of speech.

In particular, the report states that, for Pakistan and some other nations, 2025 is going to be burdened with very heavy challenges from multi-abreast security threats emanating from armed conflicts, ever-deepening repression by entrenched and even new autocracies, and democratically elected leaders with appetite to achieve their goals by overriding institutional checks on power.

Concurringly with the report’s findings, it reiterated the need to restore global freedom through a variety of actions, including but not necessarily limited to a genuine investment in strengthening democratic institutions, calling attention to rights abuses abroad, cooperating for lasting peace, and offering support to human rights defenders wherever they work.