A seminar held during the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva highlighted the deteriorating human rights conditions in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Organised by the Forum on Inter-Cultural & Inter-Religious Dialogue (FICIR) in collaboration with the Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum (AEHRF), the event brought together prominent voices, including activists, journalists, and political analysts, to raise alarm over the erosion of civil liberties and the growing influence of religious extremism in both countries.
Participants detailed how terrorist elements, often linked to networks based in Pakistan, continue to target civilians in India, aiming to fracture communal harmony along religious lines. They emphasised the urgent need to raise awareness and foster greater understanding of these cross-border threats.
Sultan Shahin, Founder of New Age Islam, said, “It is important to sensitise people to the fact that we Indians have been facing terrorism and proxy violence from across the border for 45 years. The recent attack in Pahalgam was the worst of its kind because the perpetrators deliberately communalised the issue by identifying the victims by their religion first, which was utterly atrocious. We must point this out. However, the positive outcome was that what the planners of that conference in Islamabad intended to incite riots between Muslims and Hindus actually backfired. Instead, it brought us closer together. There was even greater communal unity across India, particularly in Kashmir, where people spontaneously came out to chant slogans against terrorism and Pakistan.”
The situation in Bangladesh also drew serious concern during the seminar. Political observers condemned the rise of “mobocracy” and fundamentalism under a government allegedly propped up by international backing.
Dr Nuran Nabi, a scientist from Bangladesh, stated, “There are widespread human rights violations, with many people being killed by mob violence. The economic condition is dire, and people are going hungry. Many say they were better off before this government took power. The current administration, headed by Professor Yunus, was installed with the support of Western countries who believed that, as a Nobel laureate, he would improve the country. Instead, he has been accused of promoting violence rather than peace. Most alarmingly, he has facilitated the rise of religious fundamentalists who are trying to establish a government or society similar to Afghanistan’s.”
The forum concluded with a unanimous call for increased international attention and stronger measures to protect human rights defenders, minorities, and vulnerable communities in both Pakistan and Bangladesh.