ISLAMABAD: Pakistan holds one of the largest death rows globally, with 6,039 prisoners awaiting execution nationwide, concentrated primarily in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Among them, 99% are male, while 62 are women.
In a significant event attended by public figures, policymakers, international ambassadors, and representatives of global organizations, the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Pakistan, premiered a short film titled ‘Unfathomable.’ This film is the first in a series shedding light on the lives of death row prisoners in Pakistan.
Sixty-seven judges from the Federal Judicial Academy, along with representatives of foreign missions, institutions, and NGOs involved in the promotion of human rights, also attended the event.
French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey said, “As for the supposed deterrent nature of capital punishment, it is an illusion and a lie, demonstrated by so many international statistics.”
JPP Executive Director Sarah Belal remarked that every country’s journey towards compliance with international standards on the death penalty is tethered to its own sociocultural context.
“The most important yet often overlooked step is understanding the contextual landscape within which executions have historically taken place in the country,” she said. –Agencies
