In UK, Pakistani gay man wins asylum

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A Pakistani gay man has won UK asylum.

Mohammed Asif had to hide his real identity in his country and had been verbally and physically abused by people around him. A cleric in his city found out about his identity which led Mohammed to run away from Pakistan.

Although some tolerance exists in certain big cities, homosexuality in Pakistan is considered a sin and a taboo/ vice and gay rights are close to non-existent. Homosexuality has been illegal in Pakistan since 1860, law punishes 'acts of sodomy' with a possible prison sentence.

Pakistani law is a combination of the colonial and Islamic view. When the Islamic laws were introduced to the system amendments included primitive forms of punishments like whipping of up to 100 lashes and death by stoning. According to the Islamic law, repetition of the offence of homosexuality is punished by death. Although laws themselves are rarely enforced directly, they can be used by the police and private citizens as a form of blackmail.


State protection is not possible and the government has always shown resistance against the issue of gay rights and never hid its intolerance. The Government denies that homosexuality exists in Pakistan and maintains that LGBT expressions or human rights are alien concepts from the decadent west.

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