LAHORE: Speakers at a gathering in Lahore on Saturday called for fair and transparent investigations, judicial reform, and equal treatment under the law. They said no innocent person should ever face the death penalty.
Redemption Pakistan organized the event at a local hotel to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty, in collaboration with Rawadari Tehreek and Faith & Justice Women Alliance. It was held under the theme “Stories for Life” and attended by about 150 people, including lawmakers, religious leaders, lawyers, journalists, academics, students, and former prisoners.
Opening the event, Redemption Pakistan Executive Director Aroon Arthur spoke on the right to life and the need for reconciliation in the country. He said building a just and inclusive society was a responsibility shared by leaders and citizens.
In his keynote address, Rawadari Tehreek Chairman Samson Salamat said Pakistan’s GSP+ status with the European Union was under scrutiny. He warned that the country could lose the trade concession if human rights violations continued. He also called for limits on state powers to restrict freedom of expression.
Speaking on a panel about human rights in Pakistan, Reuters senior journalist Mubasher Bukhari pointed to weaknesses in criminal investigations and the risk of wrongful convictions. He cited a case in which a man reportedly spent 18 years in prison despite claims of innocence. South Asia Partnership Pakistan Director Irfan Mufti said the death penalty did not fix the deeper failures of the justice system, such as court delays and unequal treatment of the poor and the powerful. He stressed Pakistan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
MPA and former Punjab human rights minister Ejaz Alam Augustine said judicial reform was essential and that innocent people must never be sentenced to death. Laiba Imran of the Centre for Human Rights Education Pakistan said violence against women could not be tackled through legal measures alone without challenging patriarchal attitudes.
A second panel looked at religious teachings on punishment, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Dr. Badar Munir Majdadi, Chairman of Unity Assist Foundation, said Islamic principles of qisas, diyat, and forgiveness must be understood in the context of justice and the protection of rights. Rev. Amjad Niamat said Christian teachings place emphasis on compassion and reconciliation, and that forgiveness should not be mistaken for weakness. Kulsoom Fatima stressed the role of women’s education in building a fairer society. Qari Mohsin, and Rev. Obaid Khokhar of the National Council of Churches in Pakistan also spoke.
Former prisoners performed a song written by the late Aftab Bahadur, who was convicted as a juvenile and executed in 2015.
Redemption Pakistan says its work has helped save 48 people from death row and secure the release of over 550 prisoners