Trends and Institutional Response to Human Rights Cases: A Secondary Data Analysis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

This study explores the trends in human rights case reporting and institutional response against the backdrop of secondary data from the period 2019-2025. The primary goal is to examine trends of cases received, cases disposed and pending cases, to evaluate institutional efficiency over time. A quantitative research design was used, descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to find trends and relationships between the key variables. Results indicate that there is a statistically significant decrease in the number of cases received and disposed during the study period. The regression analysis showed that the number of reported cases as well as the number of cases disposed of over time showed a significant and more pronounced decrease. This indicates that the capacity of institutions to respond to cases is diminishing, particularly when case resolution is falling behind reporting of cases. By contrast, descriptive analysis reveals that there was a trend toward a growing number of pending cases over the last few years of the study, but there was no statistically significant trend identified. The findings indicate an increasing mismatch between case intake and institutional action, suggesting that human rights institutions may not be effective in providing timely justice. A decrease in reports does not necessarily mean human rights are improving, but may result from under-reporting, lack of access, or systemic problems. The study uses administrative data for a quantitative time-series analysis and fills a literature gap by measuring institutional performance over time. It highlights the need for institutional capacity strengthening, improved reporting systems, and greater efficiency.