Pakistan's Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021 — enacted to overhaul how sexual violence cases are investigated and adjudicated — has failed to deliver on its central promise, with convictions remaining alarmingly low even as tens of thousands of cases were registered across the country, according to a detailed investigative report published in Pakistani daily Dawn. Between 2021 and mid-2026, the four provinces collectively registered 47,452 cases across five categories of rape-related offences, yet the justice system has produced few convictions, cancelled thousands of cases, and left many more unresolved.

Scale of the Crisis

The data, compiled by investigative journalist Riazul Haq, paints a stark picture of systemic failure. Punjab alone accounted for 89.7 per cent of all registered rape cases nationwide between 2021 and mid-2026. Gang-rape made up 62.8 per cent of the total rape-related data, with 99.2 per cent of all such registered cases concentrated in Punjab. The province's 29,555 gang-rape cases were 6.6 times its 4,494 single-perpetrator rape cases — a disproportion not seen in other provinces. Punjab also reported 214 custodial rape cases, representing 99.5 per cent of all such cases in the national dataset.

By contrast, Sindh accounted for only 3.2 per cent of all registered rape cases nationally, with single-perpetrator cases making up 64.9 per cent of its 1,510 total cases. Balochistan recorded just 117 rape cases across all categories, including 94 single-perpetrator, 80 child-rape, 2 gang-rape, and 1 custodial-rape case during the same period.

Child Rape and the Conviction Void in KP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) presents one of the most troubling pictures in the data. The number of registered child-rape cases in the province rose from 270 in 2021 to 423 in 2025, and it recorded 7.4 times as many child-rape cases as Sindh. Critically, the last child-rape conviction in KP was in 2021, when there were nine convictions. From 2022 to May 2026, KP reported 1,637 child-rape cases and secured zero convictions, with only 8 recorded acquittals. Over the same period, 38 rape-and-murder cases were reported in KP — of which 37 remain in court, with no convictions or acquittals recorded.

Where Balochistan Stands Out

Balochistan offers a relative, if qualified, outlier. It recorded the best conviction ratio among all provinces — 23 convictions against 90 acquittals. However, as the report notes, this still implies roughly four acquittals for every conviction, underscoring that even the best-performing province falls far short of meaningful accountability. The province's comparatively small caseload also makes direct comparisons with Punjab or KP statistically limited.

What the Anti-Rape Act Was Meant to Do

Pakistan's Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021 was introduced with specific institutional targets: specialised courts mandated to deliver judgments within four months, dedicated crisis centres for survivors, trained investigators, and a coordinated chain of accountability from the police station to the courtroom. Five years on, the government has reportedly been unable to implement even these foundational requirements, resulting in trials that stretch for years.

'The Anti-Rape Act was meant to replace a fragmented process with a coordinated system, in which every institution, from the police station and hospital to the prosecutor's office and courtroom, would play its part. Instead, the gaps between these institutions continue to define the experience of survivors: evidence that may not be collected properly, investigations that stall, trials that drag on, and convictions that are too few to inspire confidence,' Riazul Haq wrote in the Dawn report.

What the Data Cannot Capture

Beyond the registered cases lies a larger accountability gap. As Haq noted, 'The figures cannot reveal how many survivors were deterred from reporting their abuse, nor can they account for every case that never entered the official record.' He added that the measure of the law would ultimately rest not on the institutions established in its name, but on 'whether those institutions can deliver what the law promised.' The report raises a fundamental question about the state's capacity — and political will — to respond to sexual violence at scale. Whether Pakistan's government moves to address the structural shortcomings of the 2021 Act will determine if the law remains a landmark on paper or becomes one in practice.