Lack of executions leaves 90% of hangmen unemployed in Pakistan

In the absence of death sentences over last 10 years, the jobs of many executioners were terminated and the remaining were employed on a daily wage basis. No executions have taken place in the past ten years.

According to the report, at least 90 percent of executioners were terminated, while the remaining 10 percent were employed on a daily wage basis. There are no full-time executioners left.

Legal experts believe that executions in Pakistan occur in very few cases.

There were 231 culprits, including two women, who were convicted with a death sentence in Central Adiala Jail. Of these, 183 clemency appeals were pending before the Rawalpindi Bench of the High Court, while 13 were awaiting a decision from the President of Pakistan.

At least 47 clemency appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court in 2024. However, the executions of the convicted have not been carried out so far, as they have filed appeals with the President.

Despite less frequent implementation of executions, the place for hanging culprits (Phansi Ghat) is cleaned regularly, even with a reduced number of headmen.

Shahzaib Khan, an advocate, argued that international human rights laws are a obstacle to the implementation of the death penalty in Pakistan.

This is due to Pakistan's commitments to various international agreements, including those signed with the United Nations, the European Union, and the Commonwealth.