Pakistan's leading watchdog Friday said one of its consultants was intimidated at her residence by two 'burglars' Thursday night.
In a statement, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said "two armed men" raided the house of Maryam Hasan. The "burglary-style raid" lasted for about two hours and the men "took away her laptop, two hard drives and two mobile phones, as well as some jewelry and cash".
"HRCP suspects that the two suave raiders were no ordinary thieves and calls on the Government of Punjab to apprehend the culprits and establish their identity. HRCP will hold the provincial authorities responsible for any attempt by state or non-state actors to harass any persons associated with the commission."
The watchdog said Hasan is the editor of its recent State of Human Rights report, which highlighted extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across Pakistan.
The report, released on April 16, noted that deaths linked to terrorism continued to decline in 2017 but warned of an uptick in violence against so-called soft targets.
"A study shows more Pakistanis died in incidents described as 'encounters' than in gun violence or in suicide attacks," HRCP said, pointing to research showing 495 people died in what law enforcement called shootouts.
