Rights group condemns brutal attack on Christian man in Pakistan

IANS | January 30, 2026 2:00 PM

Islamabad, Jan 30 (IANS) A leading minority rights group on Friday drew attention to a brutal attack on a Christian man in Pakistan’s Punjab, expressing concerns over the dangers and challenges faced by religious minorities across the country.

Rights group flags 522 communal violence incidents across Bangladesh in 2025

IANS | January 30, 2026 1:37 PM

Dhaka, Jan 30 (IANS) The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a human rights organisation against religious discrimination, claimed that at least 522 communal violence incidents occurred across Bangladesh in 2025, in stark contrast to the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s recent figures, which said only 71 incidents involved communal elements, local media reported.

UN Human Rights, legal organisations slam sentencing of lawyers in Pakistan under PECA

IANS | January 30, 2026 11:29 AM

Geneva, Jan 30 (IANS) The United Nations Human Rights Office, along with several other human rights and legal organisations, strongly condemned the conviction and sentencing of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatta, citing concerns over the misuse of laws under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) to suppress dissent across the country.

BNM Chairperson write to global community over ‘unlawful’ arrest of human rights lawyers in Pakistan

IANS | January 30, 2026 10:25 AM

Quetta, Jan 30 (IANS) Baloch National Movement (BNM) Chairman Naseem Baloch has written an open letter to the global community over the recent “unlawful” arrest of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatta, describing it as an attack on truth, the legal profession, and all those who dare to speak against state crimes in Pakistan.

US panel to hold hearing on India, China power balance

IANS | January 30, 2026 10:17 AM

Washington, Jan 30 (IANS) A US congressional advisory panel will hold a public hearing next month to examine India’s ties with China and the United States and how those relationships shape the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, according to a Federal Register notice.