Pakistan Affairs Forum- Copy to clipboard
- Moderator
- #1
- Sep 2, 2024
- 112,647
- 282
- Origin
- Residence
Pakistan has 6,161 prisoners on death row:
October 10, 2024
Image showing a banner saying âsay no to death penaltyâ during a protest. â AFP
A total of 6,161 Pakistani prisoners were on death row in 2024, an increase from last yearâs 6,039, according to a report by Justice Project Pakistan (JPP).
The JPP is a Lahore-based, non-profit legal action firm that represents the most vulnerable Pakistani prisoners facing the harshest punishments, at home and abroad.
The NGO recently released the third edition of its annual report called Death Penalty in Pakistan: Data Mapping Capital Punishment commemorating the 22nd World Day Against the Death Penalty.
The report showed that 6,161 prisoners were on death row in Pakistan which was an increase from 6,039 reported in 2023. The highest number was in Punjab at 2505 followed by KP at 2311 prisoners on death row.
The number contrasted with earlier trends such as in 2022 when the death row population stood at 3,226.
The 2024 edition extensively covered Pakistanâs death penalty landscape by consolidating both quantitative and qualitative data.
The report not only presents a statistical overview of death row but also delves into the underlying issues within Pakistanâs criminal justice system that perpetuate the use of capital punishment,â he statement said.
Pakistan was ranked as âone of the highest users of the death penalty globallyâ which is a âsobering statisticâ highlighting âthe urgent need for reformâ, according to the report.
It said that Pakistan has not carried out capital punishment since December 2019 but it âremains one of the most prolific users of capital punishment, with over 31 crimes punishable by deathâ.
The report was available for public access on the NGOâs digital platform.
âWe invite policymakers, advocates, and the general public to engage with this data as part of a broader dialogue on justice reform,â the statement said.
âThrough this report, JPP seeks to magnify the individual stories behind these statistics, highlighting the often overlooked human toll of state-sanctioned executions,â it added.
