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WASHINGTON: The US government noted abuses in India and Pakistan in a shortened human rights report released on Tuesday that said India “took minimal credible steps” to combat the abuses while Pakistan “rarely took credible steps.”

The Trump administration scaled back the annual US government report on human rights worldwide, dramatically softening criticism of some allies and countries that have been President Donald Trump’s partners.

The State Department human rights documentation for India and Pakistan was also much shorter and scaled back this year.
India has been an important US partner in recent years in Washington’s effort to counter China’s rise, although relations have been tense over Trump’s imposition of a 50 percent tariff on goods from India. Pakistan is a non-NATO US ally.

About India, the report said: “The government took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.”

On Pakistan, it added: “The government rarely took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.”

Indian and Pakistani embassies in Washington had no immediate comment on the report released on Tuesday, which documented instances in 2024.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch fault Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for its treatment of minorities.

They point to rising hate speeches, a religion-based citizenship law the UN calls “fundamentally discriminatory,” anti-conversion legislation that challenges freedom of belief, the 2019 removal of Muslim-majority Kashmir’s special status, and the demolition of properties owned by Muslims.

Modi denies discrimination and says his policies, such as food subsidy programs and electrification drives, benefit everyone.
In Pakistan, Amnesty International says government authorities fail to protect minorities, including Christians, and use “excessive and unnecessary force” against civil society voices and protesters.

In particular, rights groups, the UN, and Western governments raised concerns over the 2024 Pakistani elections. A UN working group said last year that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s detention violated international law. Khan remains in jail.

Islamabad says its elections were fair and dismisses allegations of rigging and foul play.

Washington and New Delhi have not reached a trade deal, while the United States has reached an agreement in recent weeks with Pakistan.

Trump angered India by taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire in May after hostilities between the neighbors following an April attack in India-administered Kashmir. India says New Delhi and Islamabad should resolve their ties directly without outside involvement.

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Wednesday issued a high alert for heavy rains and possible flooding, warning that the seventh spell of the summer monsoons is forecast to be stronger than earlier phases and will persist through much of next week.

Pakistan’s government has reported over 300 deaths and 1,600 damaged houses due to the floods, heavy rain and other weather since June 26.

On Wednesday, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said “widespread rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavy falls at times very heavy) is expected” in upper Punjab from Aug. 13 to 17, with showers spreading to most plains districts from Aug. 18 to 21.

Areas at risk include Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Kasur, Faisalabad, and Sahiwal, among others.

“More rain-wind/thundershower is predicted in the country in coming days; monsoon activity is likely to intensify during the upcoming week,” the PDMA advisory said, citing the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

Moist currents from the Bay of Bengal are forecast to strengthen from Aug. 17, with a westerly wave influencing upper parts of the country.

DG PDMA Punjab Irfan Ali Kathia instructed all commissioners and deputy commissioners to remain “alert” and keep emergency control rooms staffed round the clock.

The agency warned of “urban flooding in low-lying areas of Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore and Sialkot” and possible flash floods in rivers and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan from Aug. 18 to 21.

Landslides are also possible in Murree and Galiyat, while heavy winds could damage weak structures, rooftops and power infrastructure.

Hydrological data from Aug. 13 showed low flood levels in the Indus River at Kalabagh, Tarbela and Chashma, and in the Chenab at Khanki, with normal flows in the Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej. Mangla Dam was at 65 percent capacity and Tarbela at 96 percent, while Indian reservoirs were around 70 percent full.

Since late June, monsoon-related incidents in Punjab have killed 164 people, injured 582, damaged 216 homes and killed 121 livestock, according to PDMA records.

The agency urged the public to follow safety instructions, keep children away from rivers and canals, and avoid crossing flowing water during floods.

Pakistan’s June–September monsoon brings around 70 percent of annual rainfall, but climate change is making seasonal patterns more erratic and intense. Scientists say warmer air holds more moisture, increasing the risk of extreme downpours, while glacial melt and poor drainage heighten flood vulnerability.

In 2022, record monsoon rains and glacial floods inundated a third of the country, killing at least 1,700 people and causing damage estimated at more than $30 billion.

Last week, a study by World Weather Attribution, a group of international scientists who study global warming’s role in extreme weather, found that rainfall from June 24 to July 23 in Pakistan was 10 percent to 15 percent heavier because of climate change, leading to many building collapses in urban and rural Pakistan.