Saudi Arabia has escalated its brutal crackdown under the guise of a “war on drugs”. And Pakistan again finds itself at the center of international shame. The citizens of the Islamic nation are the most executed foreign nationals in the Kingdom.
In just six months of 2025, Saudi Arabian authorities have executed 180 individuals. And no nationality appears more disposable in the Saudi system than Pakistanis.
Statistics reveal that between 2014 and mid-2025, at least 155 Pakistani nationals have been executed by Saudi Arabia, more than any other nationality.
The Pakistani government routinely pledges to “monitor” the rights of its overseas workers, however, they have done nothing to save lives of their own citizens. Pakistanis arrested in the Kingdom are abandoned, left without proper legal support, consular access or translation assistance. Much needed support as most are often tried in Arabic courts under Islamic legal codes they can’t even understand.
“Pakistani authorities have failed to protect the poorest and most vulnerable citizens abroad. Saudi Arabia may be executing them, but Pakistan is enabling it by doing nothing,” said a human rights lawyer.
Tazir: The Legal Sword Hanging Over Pakistanis’ Heads
Saudi Arabia’s justice system allows death penalties under a discretionary Islamic principle called tazir, which permits judges to impose capital punishment even when no explicit law or Quranic verse mandates it.
In other words, a Pakistani national can be executed for non-violent, ill-defined “crimes”, based solely on a judge’s personal interpretation of Sharia.
From 2014 to 2025:
Total executions under tazir: 862 (47.5% of all Saudi executions)
Tazir executions for drug offences in 2024: 122
Tazir executions for drug offences Jan–June 2025: 118
Executions in Numbers: Pakistan Tops the Chart
Despite Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s repeated claims that death sentences would be reserved only for “Quran-mandated crimes,” Pakistanis continue to be slaughtered under Saudi Arabia’s medieval justice system.
Execution breakdown by nationality (2014–2025):
Pakistan: 155
Syria: 66
Jordan: 50
Yemen: 39
Egypt: 33
Nigeria: 32
Somalia: 22
Ethiopia: 13
The majority of Pakistanis killed were migrant workers. Interestingly, other nationals slaughtered under Saudi Arabia’s medieval justice system too hail from Islamic nations from across the globe.
The ‘Drug War’ Excuse
Saudi Arabia continues to claim it is waging a war on drugs, yet its anti-narcotics policy seems more focused on public executions than real enforcement.
Since 2023, after officially launching this campaign, executions have skyrocketed, with 345 people executed in 2024 alone, the highest number in three decades. Again, Pakistanis were at the top of the body count.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s government remains silent, even as dozens of its own citizens face execution. Pakistan’s only response? Diplomatic quietude and hollow press releases.
