The Death Penalty in Pakistan — Intezaar / The Wait

There are currently more than 8,000 prisoners on death row in Pakistan, making it a country with one of the largest death row populations in the world. Very little is known about the life of prisoners in Pakistan – even less about those on death row. One appalling aspect is the never-ending uncertainty and interminable wait: on average a death convict has to wait 11 years or more in prison before the State takes his or her life.

In November 2016, Justice Project Pakistan, Highlight Arts and Complicité ran workshops in Lahore, with actors from Ajoka Theatre, to research the topic and develop ideas for a theatre project. The Company visited prisons, met prisoners on death row, family members, jail wardens, human rights lawyers and executioners.

Rehearsals began in March and, in April 2017, Intezaar toured universities in Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi with the hope of engaging a young audience and opening up a dialogue about the corruption of the criminal justice system in Pakistan.

In September 2017 Highlight Arts and Justice Project Pakistan began re-working Intezaar as a street-theatre performance with Azad Theatre in Lahore. In October, 2017 they embarked on a bus tour ‘Bus Ka Do‘ stopping in towns and villages across Pakistan culminating a final performance For The World Day Against the Death Penalty in Karchi. More than just a performance, Bus Ka Do was a fully interactive experience where audience members could meet actual prisoners and lawyers, send drawings and letters to people on death row, and share their feelings and experiences on social media.

We also hosted workshops encouraging young theatre makers to adapt Intezaar in their own way and continue to encourage and support the development of this project.

Reviews & Press Coverage

The Friday Times — The Wait: “Their miserable existence and their resilience and courage to make their meaningless lives somewhat meaningful are a central theme. There is a prisoner who can paint, another who can compose and sing and yet another who spends all his time studying and teaching others.” Read more…

The Express Tribune — Noose Over Their Heads: “…a harrowing yet powerful depiction…” Read more…

The International News — Play Highlights Plight of Death Row Prisoners: “The performance was very strong. The artists were deeply involved and played their parts superbly.” Read more…

Dawn — For the Gallows: “sombre moments were intertwined with instances of song and dance, poetry and laughter.” Read more…

The International News — Play Highlights Plight of Death Row Prisoners: “Intezaar demonstrates the structural flaws inherent to Pakistan’s criminal justice system.” Read more…

Daily Times — Miseries of Prisoners Depicted: “The play raised serious question on the judicial system and weak prosecution system, which is causing execution of hundreds of innocent people since the creation of Pakistan. The play presented stories of six prisoners – some who were forced to confess to the crimes.” Read more…

The Nation — ‘Intezaar’ Exposes Flaws in Judicial System: “One character which gives hope in this depressing situation is the lawyer who is devoted to work to seek relief and justice for unfortunate victims of social and institutional injustice.” Read more…