A woman who spent years campaigning for the families of Pakistan’s forcibly disappeared has been sentenced to life in prison, sparking an outcry from human rights groups and renewed pressure on the UK government to intervene. Amina Sheikh, 42, was convicted of sedition and terrorism charges in a military court in Lahore on Tuesday, a verdict that rights advocates say is a brazen act of political retaliation. Sheikh rose to prominence after her husband, a journalist, vanished in 2018.
She led protests and filed petitions that embarrassed the powerful intelligence agencies. Now she faces a lifetime behind bars, her voice silenced. The UK, with its large Pakistani diaspora and historical ties, is being urged to apply diplomatic pressure.
But critics say successive governments have looked the other way to maintain trade relations. For the families still waiting for justice, Sheikh’s fate is a chilling reminder of the price of dissent.
