Pakistan's Death Penalty Crisis: A Call for Reform

Pakistan's death penalty system remains one of the harshest globally, with 26% of the world's death row population. Despite no executions since 2019, a staggering number of prisoners await capital punishment. The Justice Project Pakistan's report calls for justice reform and highlights the human impact of executions.

Pakistan's application of the death penalty ranks among the most severe globally, making up 26% of the world's death row population, according to a report by Justice Project Pakistan.

Recent statistics reveal an alarming increase in death row prisoners, rising from 6,039 in 2023 to 6,161 in 2024. This figure starkly contrasts earlier reports from 2022, with the population then at 3,226.

Highlighting the country's dire need for reform, the Lahore-based NGO urges stakeholders to engage in a broader conversation on justice reform, stating that Pakistan remains one of the most prolific users of capital punishment.

(With inputs from agencies.)