When Mental Health Becomes a Weapon

In Pakistan, where same-sex relationships remain criminalised under Section 377 of the Penal Code, the state and segments of society continue to treat homosexuality not as a natural human variation but as a “disease” to be “cured.” This dangerous belief fuels the use of conversion therapy , a discredited and harmful practice condemned by every major global psychiatric and medical body.

Instead of offering evidence-based mental health care, some psychiatric institutions in Pakistan have become tools of repression, used to silence and punish individuals for their sexual orientation. Reports received by Pride Pakistan indicate that electric shocks, forced medication, prolonged isolation, and psychological abuse are still being used under the guise of “treatment.”

The Case of Preetum Giani: 500 Days in Detention for Demanding Equality

In May 2024, Preetum Giani, a 75-year-old human rights advocate, submitted an application to the Deputy Commissioner of Abbottabad to open the Lorenzo Gay Club, a safe, non-sexual social space for the LGBTQ+ community.

The next day, on 9 May 2024, Giani was reportedly abducted by individuals linked to security agencies and transferred to the Sarhad Hospital for Psychiatric Disease in Peshawar. Friends and supporters have been denied access to him, and his current condition remains unknown.

This is not an isolated case. It is part of a broader pattern where mental health facilities are misused as detention centres for LGBTQ+ individuals, often at the request of families or under state orders. The aim is not treatment, it is erasure.

⚠️ Conversion Therapy in Pakistan: A Hidden Crisis

• No legal ban: Pakistan has no laws prohibiting conversion therapy.
• Widespread abuse: Reports document the use of aversion techniques, including electric shocks, forced medication, and religious indoctrination.
• Family complicity: Many victims are admitted to clinics by their own relatives, often under pressure from community or religious leaders.
• State involvement: In some cases, as with Giani, state actors directly facilitate or order such detentions.

These practices are scientifically baseless and have been shown to cause severe trauma, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

📢 International Standards and Pakistan’s Obligations

The United Nations, World Health Organization, and Amnesty International have all declared that sexual orientation is not a disorder and that conversion therapy constitutes torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

Pakistan is a signatory to multiple international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees freedom from arbitrary detention and protection from torture. The continued detention of Preetum Giani and others like him is a clear violation of these obligations.

✊ Our Demands

Pride Pakistan calls on:

1. The Government of Pakistan to:
   • Immediately release Preetum Giani from psychiatric detention.
   • Ban all forms of conversion therapy and criminalise its practice.
   • Ensure mental health facilities operate under strict human rights oversight.
2. The United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other global bodies to:
   • Publicly condemn the detention of Giani.
   • Demand Pakistan’s compliance with international human rights standards.
   • Monitor and report on the misuse of psychiatric institutions against LGBTQ+ individuals.
3. The International Medical Community to:
   • Suspend cooperation with Pakistani mental health institutions found to be complicit in conversion therapy or arbitrary detention.
   • Offer asylum and medical support to survivors.

References & Further Reading

• Application seeking setting up of Lorenzo Gay Club in Abbottabad rejected
• Man is detained for trying to open gay club in Pakistan
• Pakistan’s first gay club in Abbottabad: Here’s what we know
• Conversion therapy in Pakistan – Equaldex overview
• Research on conversion therapy practices and harms
• Man seeking to open Pakistan’s first Gay Club lands in Mental Hospital
• Abbottabad man seeking to open first gay club detained in mental hospital

🔴 Final Word

Preetum Giani’s case is a stark reminder that in Pakistan, being openly gay can mean losing your freedom, your dignity, and your safety. As we approach 500 days of his detention, silence is complicity.

We urge every ally, activist, and organisation to raise their voice. Share his story. Demand his release. And stand against the weaponisation of mental health care to erase LGBTQ+ lives.