Pakistani court paves way for execution of mentally ill man

ISLAMABAD – An international rights group and a defence lawyer say Pakistan’s Supreme Court has paved the way for execution of a mentally ill death-row prisoner by ruling that schizophrenia does not qualify as a mental disorder.

Sara Bilal, a lawyer at Justice Project Pakistan, said Friday the court made this observation Thursday while releasing a detailed order about an earlier rejection of the final appeal from Imdad Ali.

She said Ali has been on death row since he was convicted in 2001 in a murder case.

Bilal’s comments came a day after the Reprieve international rights group expressed its concern over the latest court order, urging the Pakistani President to “urgently intervene” to stop Ali’s execution as under Pakistani laws only the president has authority to pardon him.

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