Blog/·9 min read
Pakistan Country Evidence for Local and Provincial Differences: What Solicitors Should Consider
What solicitors should consider when reviewing Pakistan country evidence for local and provincial differences—CPIN geography, urban/rural context, and when expert evidence may help.
Pakistan is a geographically diverse country, and conditions relevant to an asylum or human rights case may differ between provinces, districts, cities and local communities. For legal representatives preparing a case, country evidence may therefore need to be considered at a level that is relevant to the individual factual profile.
General Pakistan country information can provide important background, but it may not address every local or provincial issue arising in an individual case. Where geography is material to the issues being considered, it can be useful to identify the relevant location and examine whether the available country evidence adequately addresses it.
Why Location Can Matter in Pakistan Country Evidence
Pakistan comprises four provinces, as well as territories and federally administered areas with distinct geographical and administrative characteristics.
Conditions may vary between different parts of the country. Differences can relate to factors such as:
- population and demographics
- religious or sectarian composition
- political circumstances
- local community structures
- tribal or clan relationships
- security conditions
- access to state institutions
- availability and practical effectiveness of protection mechanisms
- urban and rural environments
These differences do not mean that every case requires detailed provincial evidence. The relevance of location will depend on the particular facts and issues raised.
For a Pakistan asylum case, it may therefore be useful to ask whether the country information being relied upon is sufficiently relevant to the location connected with the claimant's circumstances.
Provincial Differences and Country Information
Country Policy and Information Notes can provide information about Pakistan at national level while also addressing particular regions or locations where the available evidence requires it.
The level of geographical detail can vary between different CPINs and subjects.
A solicitor reviewing Pakistan country evidence may therefore wish to establish:
- What location is relevant to the claimant's circumstances?
- Does the available country evidence specifically address that location?
- Are there meaningful differences between the relevant locality and the national position?
- Does the evidence concern current conditions?
- Are there reliable sources providing additional information about the particular area?
The purpose is not to assume that a national assessment is inaccurate. Rather, it is to identify whether additional geographical context is relevant to the specific question being considered.
Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan
Pakistan's provinces have different geographical, demographic, political and social characteristics.
Punjab
Punjab is Pakistan's most populous province and contains major urban centres as well as extensive rural areas.
Country evidence concerning Punjab may therefore need to distinguish, where relevant, between particular cities, districts and rural communities rather than treating the province as entirely uniform.
Factors such as family connections, religious or community networks, political activity and access to local authorities may have different relevance depending on the location concerned.
Sindh
Sindh includes Karachi, one of Pakistan's largest urban centres, as well as rural districts with different social and demographic characteristics.
Where a case concerns Sindh, the distinction between Karachi and other parts of the province may be relevant to questions about community networks, family connections, security conditions or access to services and authorities.
The significance of these differences will depend on the individual facts and the issue being considered.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has distinct geographical and social characteristics, including areas close to the Afghanistan border.
Country evidence concerning the province may therefore require attention to the particular district or locality involved, especially where security conditions, community structures or local relationships form part of the factual background.
Balochistan
Balochistan is geographically extensive and contains areas with different demographic and security circumstances.
Cases involving political activity, ethnicity, security concerns or alleged treatment by state or non-state actors may require consideration of the particular location rather than relying solely on a general description of conditions in the province.
The existence of regional variation does not by itself establish a particular risk. The relevance of the location should be assessed against the evidence and the individual factual profile.
Urban and Rural Differences
Geographical analysis does not necessarily stop at provincial boundaries.
Conditions in a major city may differ from those in a smaller town or rural district within the same province.
For example, relevant differences may concern:
- access to police and other state institutions
- availability of accommodation
- employment opportunities
- family or community networks
- visibility within a local community
- ability to establish a new social network
- local attitudes towards a particular identity or activity
- access to legal or social services
These factors may become relevant when considering questions such as state protection or internal relocation.
However, broad assumptions about urban or rural areas should be avoided. The evidence should be considered in the context of the particular location and the individual circumstances.
Local Community Networks
Local community relationships can be important in understanding country conditions.
In some cases, the relevant issue may not simply be whether a particular group exists in Pakistan generally. It may also concern the claimant's relationship with a specific family, community, religious group, political network or other local structure.
Questions may include:
- Is the claimant known within the local community?
- Are there family or community connections in the relevant area?
- Is the alleged source of harm connected to a wider network?
- Would the claimant's identity or activities be visible locally?
- Are there relevant community structures in the proposed location?
- Could local relationships affect access to practical support or protection?
The answers will depend on the evidence available in the individual case.
Geographic Differences and State Protection
State protection should also be considered in its geographical context where the evidence makes location relevant.
The formal availability of police, courts or other state institutions does not necessarily answer every question about how protection operates in practice.
A case may require consideration of matters such as:
- the relevant police or administrative structure
- local accessibility of authorities
- previous contact with the police
- reported treatment by local authorities
- the nature of the alleged threat
- the relationship between local actors and the alleged source of harm
- evidence concerning the practical operation of protection mechanisms in the relevant area
The assessment should remain evidence-based and case-specific. A difference between locations should not be assumed without supporting country information.
Geographic Differences and Internal Relocation
Location can also be relevant where internal relocation is being considered.
The question is not simply whether another city or province exists within Pakistan. The relevant country evidence may need to address the particular circumstances of the proposed destination and whether relocation can reasonably be considered in light of the applicable legal framework.
Depending on the case, relevant country questions may include:
- What conditions exist in the proposed destination?
- Would the claimant have family or community connections there?
- Could the claimant reasonably establish a new life in that location?
- Would the alleged source of harm have the ability or incentive to locate the claimant?
- Would the claimant's profile remain visible?
- What practical access would the claimant have to accommodation, employment and essential services?
- Are there relevant local differences in protection or security conditions?
These are not conclusions about whether internal relocation is available in an individual case. They are examples of country-specific questions that may require supporting evidence.
When National Country Information May Need Local Context
National-level information can be useful while still leaving questions about a particular locality unanswered.
For example, a CPIN may describe the general position concerning a particular group but provide less detail about:
- a specific district
- a particular city
- a local community
- differences between urban and rural areas
- local political structures
- regional security conditions
- practical access to protection
Where one of these issues is material to the case, a solicitor may wish to identify the precise geographical question rather than relying on broad country statements.
This can help distinguish between a general country-information issue and a genuinely location-specific evidence requirement.
The Role of Pakistan Country Expert Evidence
A Pakistan country expert report may be considered where specialist country knowledge is relevant to a particular issue.
Expert evidence should remain within the expert's area of expertise and should provide independent analysis rather than simply repeating general country information.
Depending on the circumstances, a country expert may address geographical matters such as:
- differences between provinces or regions
- local political or social structures
- community relationships
- religious or sectarian demographics
- local security conditions
- practical differences between particular locations
- the relevance of local circumstances to the individual profile
The precise scope of an expert report should depend on the question that needs to be addressed and the evidence already available.
For solicitors considering a Pakistan country expert report, case details can be submitted through the Send a Brief page.
A Practical Checklist for Reviewing Local Country Evidence
Before relying on geographical country evidence in a Pakistan asylum case, practitioners may wish to consider the following.
1. Identify the Relevant Location
Establish the province, district, city, town or other locality connected with the relevant factual issue.
2. Check the Current Country Information
Review current Pakistan country information and consider whether it addresses the relevant geographical area.
3. Check the Information Date
Consider the publication date, update date and any stated information cut-off date of the material being relied upon.
4. Look for Geographic Differences
Where relevant, consider whether the available evidence identifies differences between provinces, districts, cities or rural and urban areas.
5. Consider Local Networks
Identify whether family, religious, political, tribal, community or other social networks are relevant to the particular circumstances.
6. Consider the Practical Position
Where state protection or internal relocation is an issue, consider whether the country evidence addresses the practical circumstances of the relevant location.
7. Identify Any Evidence Gap
If an important geographical question is not adequately addressed by the available material, identify the specific question rather than assuming that national-level information answers it.
8. Consider Specialist Evidence Where Relevant
Where a material country-specific geographical question falls within an expert's expertise, specialist Pakistan country evidence may be considered as part of the wider evidence.
Keeping Geographical Country Evidence Focused
Local and provincial differences should not be treated as a reason to assume that every Pakistan asylum case requires extensive geographical evidence.
The relevant question is whether location has a material connection to the factual issues being considered.
A focused approach can involve identifying the relevant locality, reviewing current country information, considering any meaningful regional differences and assessing whether the available evidence adequately addresses the particular country-specific question.
Where additional expert evidence is considered necessary, the report should remain focused on relevant country matters and distinguish country evidence from legal submissions.
PakistanExpertReports.com provides different types of Pakistan country evidence for UK asylum and immigration proceedings. The available report categories can be reviewed on the Pakistan expert reports page.