INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTIONS AND PAKISTAN’S COMPLIANCE WITH ANTI-TORTURE MEASURES

Abstract

This paper examines the obligations of Pakistan under major international human rights instruments, especially the United Nations Convention on Torture (UNCAT), and the status of its observance of antitorture laws. It begins from the core research question: what extent has Pakistan brought international antitorture norms home within its national legal and institutional arrangements? The research follows a qualitative approach that has focused on an analysis of some of the international treaties, the norms of domestic law, case laws, judgments and reports provided by international organizations and local NGOs, while also using a descriptive overview of certain court cases and the reasons they failed. The study suggests a wide gulf between Pakistan’s international obligations and on-ground reality characterized by systemic custodial violence, weak accountability structures and legislative deficit. The research highlights the necessity of a comprehensive legal reform, institutional strengthening, and the enhancement of the political will for the harmonization of national practices with international human rights standards.