Pakistan currently has 3,646 individuals on death row, one of the largest death row populations in the world. Capital punishment remains on the books for 31 offences, including many non-lethal crimes that fall short of the “most serious crimes” threshold under international human rights law. Legal representation often ends after the final appeal, with prisoners left navigating a mercy/clemency petition system that is opaque and rarely results in relief. Mercy petitions, the only remaining safeguard, often go unheard due to lack of transparency, and a failure to assess mitigating circumstances, such as juvenility, psychosocial or physical disabilities. Despite these challenges, strategic post-conviction advocacy has yielded critical successes. In the Safia Bano case, sustained efforts led to a Supreme Court ruling barring the execution of mentally ill prisoners. While this case serves as precedent through its success story, the issue however remains systemic.