The verdict landed like a thunderclap in a Rawalpindi courtroom this morning. A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced a man to death for the murder of TikTok star Minahil Malik. The case has become a flashpoint. Not just for the brutality of the crime. But for what it says about the state of justice in Pakistan.
Inside the lobby, the mood is tense. The Foreign Office has issued a carefully worded statement. It 'notes' the verdict. It 'urges' respect for due process. But the real conversation is happening in the margins. MPs are asking quiet questions. British nationals, they whisper, could be next. The death penalty is a red line. Labour backbenchers are already drafting amendments. They want an automatic review of any case involving a UK citizen facing the noose.
Let’s be clear. This is not a one-off. The Pakistan government has been flexing its judicial muscles. High-profile cases, swift sentences. It plays well at home. But it terrifies Whitehall. The fear is simple. If a British national is caught in the crosshairs, what leverage does London really have? The answer, right now, is not much.
Downing Street knows it. They are scrambling. Quiet diplomacy is the phrase of the day. But the clock is ticking. Every hour this story stays in the news cycle, the pressure builds. The Home Office is drawing up contingency plans. The Foreign Office is dusting off old bilateral agreements. It’s a game of shadows.
The TikTok angle matters. Minahil Malik was not just a victim. She was a symbol. A young woman who built a life online. Her murder tapped into a deep vein of anxiety. About freedom of expression. About violence against women. About the law’s ability to protect the vulnerable. Her killer’s sentence is supposed to be justice. But for many in Westminster, it feels like a warning.
I’ve been watching the updates from the Press Association. The court was packed. The judge’s words were firm. ‘Deterrent,’ he said. ‘Exemplary.’ That language sends a chill through any lawyer’s spine. It sounds like a show trial. And show trials, as any Lobby hack knows, are bad for British interests.
What happens next? The appeal will be fast-tracked. The UK will watch closely. There will be quiet meetings. Possibly a demarche. But the real test will come when the first British national is handed a similar sentence. Then the phone calls will start. Then the real pressure will mount.
For now, it’s a waiting game. The death penalty remains the ultimate political football. In Pakistan, it is popular. In the UK, it is anathema. The gulf between those two positions is the story. And it is only going to get wider.
