Pakistan Arts Council Targets Actresses Amid Human Rights Concerns

The Punjab Arts Council has ordered actresses Urooj Khan, Nayab Khan, and Masooma Malik to explain dance moves deemed obscene within 48 hours or face potential sanctions. This action follows an August ban that barred eight other actresses from theatrical stages in the province for inappropriate performances.

Simultaneously, filmmaker Roshaan Khattak reported receiving death threats connected to his research on human rights violations in Balochistan. These threats coincide with documented increases in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the Balochistan region between 2023 and 2025.

These combined pressures on artistic expression and human rights have led to scrutiny of the European Commission. Critics are questioning why the European Union continues to grant Pakistan preferential market access despite the commission's own documentation of a deterioration in freedom of expression and human rights within the country.