Portal:Pakistan/Selected article/29

Area controlled by Pakistan shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Pakistan face legal and social difficulties and persecution compared to non-LGBTQ persons. Pakistani law prescribes criminal penalties for same-sex sexual acts.

The Pakistani Penal Code of 1860, originally developed 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. (Full article...)