United States has sharply criticised both India and Pakistan for failing to take meaningful action against human rights abuses, with its latest annual report concluding that New Delhi acted only minimally while Islamabad rarely took credible steps to address violations.
The State Department’s 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released on 12 August, assessed rights conditions in nearly 200 countries. The findings for South Asia’s two largest states pointed to entrenched impunity, inadequate judicial follow-through and persistent restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
For India, the report stated that the government “took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.” The assessment cited longstanding allegations of excessive use of force by security personnel, restrictions on press freedom, internet shutdowns in conflict-prone areas and curbs on civil society organisations.
It highlighted incidents in Jammu and Kashmir where local and international rights groups documented arbitrary detentions, excessive restrictions on movement and the use of anti-terror laws to target political activists, journalists and human rights defenders. While noting that some officials faced disciplinary action, the report concluded these measures were limited and failed to address systemic accountability gaps.
On Pakistan, the language was even starker. The State Department found that the government “rarely took credible steps” to punish security forces or other officials implicated in abuses. The report detailed cases of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as a pattern of harassment against journalists and political opponents.
It also drew attention to the blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty and are frequently invoked against religious minorities and political dissidents. The report noted that while some accused persons were acquitted, these were exceptions in a system marked by intimidation, lengthy detentions and mob violence.
The State Department’s findings come against the backdrop of growing scrutiny of rights records in both countries from independent bodies. In its 2025 report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that India and Pakistan be designated as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) under U.S. law for “engaging in or tolerating particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
For India, USCIRF went further, urging targeted sanctions against the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), its external intelligence agency, over alleged plots to target Sikh separatists abroad. Pakistan, meanwhile, was cited for continued failure to protect religious minorities from violence and discriminatory laws.
Both governments have dismissed the criticism. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has in past years called such U.S. reports “biased and lacking in understanding” of the country’s democratic and legal systems. Pakistani officials have typically rejected the findings as politically motivated and have pointed to their own constitutional provisions guaranteeing rights.
The 2024 human rights report has also attracted controversy in Washington. Under the administration of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, critics say the annual document has been significantly shortened and softened, with certain detailed sections on sensitive countries omitted or condensed. Former State Department officials and advocacy groups have warned that the changes risk undermining the report’s credibility as a tool for accountability.
Nonetheless, the findings are likely to feed into broader debates on U.S. foreign policy priorities in South Asia, where Washington seeks to balance strategic, economic and security interests with human rights advocacy. Analysts note that both India and Pakistan are critical to U.S. regional objectives — India as a strategic counterweight to China and Pakistan as a partner in counterterrorism and Afghan stability — complicating the scope and tone of American rights diplomacy.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have urged the U.S. to maintain robust reporting standards and to link aid, trade and security cooperation with measurable improvements in accountability. They have also called on New Delhi and Islamabad to implement independent investigations into alleged abuses and to strengthen protections for journalists, civil society and minorities.
While the report stops short of recommending sanctions or punitive measures, its stark characterisation of official inaction in both India and Pakistan adds to mounting international concern over shrinking democratic space in the region. Observers say that without systemic reforms, political will and judicial independence, both governments are likely to face continued criticism in future assessments.