No Executions in Pakistan for the Past 10 Years as Death Row Inmates Await Justice

Rawalpindi:Over the last decade, no executions have been carried out in any prison in Pakistan, leaving death row convicts in legal limbo. Despite the rejection of final appeals by the Supreme Court, 47 inmates remain on death row, awaiting the implementation of their sentences. Many of these prisoners have had their mercy petitions pending with the President of Pakistan, while several others have filed review petitions with the courts.

In the absence of executions, the demand for executioners has dropped significantly. As a result, 90% of executioners have been dismissed, and only a small number of daily wage workers remain. Currently, there are no permanent executioners in Pakistan, with those still employed working on a temporary basis.

In Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail alone, there are 231 death row prisoners, including two women, with 183 cases pending before the Rawalpindi Bench of the High Court and 48 before the Supreme Court. Additionally, 13 mercy petitions are awaiting decisions by the President. Despite the moratorium on executions, the cleaning and maintenance of execution chambers remain part of regular jail procedures.

Legal experts, such as Advocate Shan Zeb Khan, highlight that Pakistan’s commitments to international conventions—such as those signed with the United Nations, the European Union, and the Commonwealth—have played a role in hindering the implementation of death sentences. These global norms have created significant challenges for the country in carrying out executions, contributing to an already complex legal environment where death sentences are rarely enforced.

This ongoing delay in carrying out executions has raised concerns both domestically and internationally about the effectiveness and fairness of the judicial process for those on death row in Pakistan.