LGBTQ rights in Pakistan

Common card · No. 307753

Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Pakistan. The Pakistan Penal Code (originally developed as the Indian Penal Code under the British Raj), criminalises sodomy with possible penalties of prison sentences from two years to a life sentence and fines. Despite its illegality, homosexual acts are only occasionally prosecuted by authorities, but it is sometimes used to threaten and harass homosexuals under threat of prosecution. Other morality and public order provisions in the Penal Code are used to target LGBTQ Pakistanis as well. Another greater problem can be vigilante policing and killings by Islamist and terrorist groups. Police may also act illegally and arrest LGBTQ individuals despite the law stating otherwise. A majority of the people living in Pakistan believe that homosexuality is a sin in Islam. Nearly all religious leaders agree that the story of the prophet Lut shows that Islam does not approve of homosexuality. Multiple clerics call for punishment of homosexuals based on the...

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