In December 2021, Pakistan passed a law to improve the investigation and trial of rape cases. It promised special courts, trained investigators, support centres and trials that should preferably finish within four months.
Nearly five years later, many survivors still wait for justice.
Government records show that the four provinces registered 47,452 cases across five categories of rape-related offences between 2021 and mid-2026. Yet convictions remain few, thousands of cases remain unresolved, and missing information makes it difficult to judge the system’s performance.
These are not just numbers. Each complaint represents someone who reported violence and turned to the state for help. Too often, the response has brought more waiting and uncertainty.
Punjab: Many Cases, Few Convictions
Punjab recorded almost 90 percent of all cases in the dataset. Its figures include 29,555 gang-rape cases — more than 99 percent of the national total in that category.
This huge difference between Punjab and other provinces needs an explanation. Authorities must check whether provinces record and classify cases in the same way. These figures cannot, on their own, show where sexual violence occurs most often.
The court outcomes also raise serious concerns. Punjab recorded 639 convictions of accused individuals and 12,741 acquittals across all categories — around 20 acquittals for every conviction. Authorities also cancelled 9,155 cases.
An acquittal does not prove that the justice system failed. Courts must decide cases fairly and require sufficient evidence. But such a large gap demands answers about how police investigate cases and how prosecutors present them.
Punjab also registered 214 custodial-rape cases. The reported outcomes included just one conviction and 51 acquittals. Allegations of sexual violence in custody demand especially close scrutiny because the state has a duty to protect those under its control.
Children Left Waiting
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,907 of the 3,197 registered cases involved children.
Police sent almost every case to court, but most child-rape cases remained under trial. From 2022 to May 2026, the province registered 1,637 child-rape cases and recorded no convictions.
For children and their families, these delays mean living with uncertainty long after reporting the crime. A law that promises faster trials means little when cases remain unresolved for years.
Missing Information Hides the Full Picture
Sindh’s records show that nearly half of the listed accused remained at large. Another 295 cases had neither reached court nor been cancelled.
The province’s dataset left the columns for convictions, acquittals and pending trials blank. Without that information, the public cannot assess whether survivors received justice.
Balochistan registered only 177 cases during the reporting period. Such low numbers do not necessarily mean less violence. Police and prosecution lawyers point to social stigma, distant police stations and tribal justice systems as reasons survivors may never report abuse.
Silence in official records must not become an excuse for silence from the government.
A Promise Needs Action
The law depends on police, hospitals, prosecutors and courts working together. Yet officials describe investigators who lack money, training and time. Weak witness protection and poor evidence collection create further barriers.
Special courts cannot repair every failure that happens before a trial begins. When investigators lose evidence or fail to collect it properly, they weaken the search for truth.
Pakistan needs accountability, not another promise.
Authorities must fund investigations, train staff, protect survivors and publish complete records. They must explain why cases stall and address delays without weakening the right to a fair trial.
Survivors should not have to carry both the pain of violence and the burden of a system that leaves them waiting. The law will matter only when the institutions behind it do their jobs.