Saudi Arabia beheads Pakistani drug smuggler

E-Paper | May 09, 2026

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia beheaded a Pakistani on Wednesday for trafficking heroin hidden in his stomach into the kingdom, the interior ministry said, the latest in dozens of executions this year.

Mohammed Sadiq Hanif was arrested during his attempt to smuggle “a large amount” of heroin, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

Last month, Saudi authorities beheaded four Pakistanis convicted of smuggling heroin into the kingdom.

The beheading Wednesday in the eastern town of Khubar raises to 63 the number of death sentences carried out in the kingdom this year, despite international concern.

A United Nations independent expert called in September for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

Christof Heyns, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said trials “are by all accounts grossly unfair” and defendants are often not allowed a lawyer.

He said confessions were obtained under torture.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's strict version of Islamic sharia law.

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M. Saeed Awan

Nov 05, 2014 05:50pm

Well done. No mercy for any national.

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Khizr

Nov 05, 2014 06:13pm

Did they get any information about his supply chain contacts before killing him?

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Ash

Nov 05, 2014 06:17pm

All capital punishment should be abolished until it's aggression or war against the state.

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Ali

Nov 05, 2014 06:29pm

Will Saudi Arabia behead those who murdered the Shias

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Asif

Nov 05, 2014 06:29pm

Very harsh punishment for smuggling heroin.

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Aeyaz Kayani

Nov 05, 2014 06:36pm

While the harshness of the punishment is indeed a cause for concern, the part of the report that says that confessions are obtained under torture, that there is no due process etc. is even more problematic. A person can arguably be accused even if innocent. But suspicion should not be converted to guilt via torture. Confessions under torture are meaningless anyhow as the person can make it just to make the torture stop.

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Blunt D Kasuri

Nov 05, 2014 06:43pm

@Asif So it should be allowed like your country?

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Blunt D Kasuri

Nov 05, 2014 06:44pm

Great justice and a lesson for Pakistanis and Pakistani legislators this is why I love Saudia!

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Blunt D Kasuri

Nov 05, 2014 06:45pm

@Ali Yes every killer is beheaded here apart from any nationality or discrimination unlike Pakistan

Recommend 0

Nov 05, 2014 06:55pm

Another one bites the dust. Arab brothers.

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alok

Nov 05, 2014 07:05pm

Its sad that Pakistan does not even lodge protest against such killings with the Saudis. Its absolutely inhumane to execute people without proper trial and that too by a barbaric method of beheading. The tiniest of the countries stand up for their citizens even if her citizen is at fault.

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Danish

Nov 05, 2014 07:09pm

All the money in the world, yet no contributions to science and technology, ever. Good going arabs!

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shami

Nov 05, 2014 07:17pm

How much Kilograms (Kg) of heroin can someone put in his stomach?

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Ali

Nov 05, 2014 07:32pm

Good one.This is why Saudia Arabia is peaceful country.

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kdp

Nov 05, 2014 07:43pm

@cynergisuk Only Saudi police knows if they really were drug dealers. Do they behead Saudis nationals who purchase drugs? Have not heard about that

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Junaid

Nov 05, 2014 07:45pm

So a person smuggling heroin in Saudi Arabia is beheaded. Here, in Pakistan, the murderer are roaming around free. CM Punjab is still a CM despite he is responsible for Model town. People who kill 2 brothers in Sailkot are free, people who took part or witnessed the 2 christian couple killed and Burnt near Lahore are free, those Police men standing there and not doing their job are free. Not sure where to stop.

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PEACE

Nov 05, 2014 07:48pm

@M. Saeed Awan and if something i done by US,there will be protests all over pakistan.Wonder what our standards are?

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T.M. Reddy

Nov 05, 2014 08:00pm

Opium (heroin is derivative of opium or morphine) is still drug of choice in the pain. If some one thinks otherwise he / she is either fool or lunatic. Drugs are meant for using it effectively for known reasons. Life is not cheap. You live ones. If you kill one life, I don't what religion says about the killing someone.... end-up where? Humans have lived with this miracle drug for thousands of years for pain relief, relaxation and recreation. If people kill on the basis of drug abuse - it is just a pure cruel. Religion has no place for this type of killing - this is just a made up. I am sure Saudi Arabia is rich by natural resources not by any ingenious, intelligent creativity - natural resources will dry up someday - but natures gift the pain relieve will stay here. If someone committed some crime then law should have jailed for sometime - not killing someone for this so-called crime.

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Nadeem

Nov 05, 2014 08:05pm

Good Job ,,,, they knew what the punishment is,,,,

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Nadeem

Nov 05, 2014 08:06pm

If they are bringing drugs into the country so our kids can use them,,,, I ll def go for capital punishment !

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Rafiq Ali

Nov 05, 2014 08:06pm

Pakistan will never lodge a complaint against Saudi Arabia. They will behead more and more Pakistanis without proper trials and we will praise our Arab masters. Let us accept the bitter truth, we are mentally slave to the Arabs and mental slavery is worse than real slavery. This ingrained slavery taught us that the Arabs are superiors to us, their land is holier than ours, and we should negate our cultures claiming we are Arab descendants when our genes tell another story.

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drdavid

Nov 05, 2014 08:10pm

everywhere pakistanis are dying..they are not safe even in their own country...

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Akeel Ahmed

Nov 05, 2014 08:17pm

Pakistan need to adopt such measures like that of Saudi Arabia, such punishments can save the life of the citizens of Pakistan.

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Syed

Nov 05, 2014 08:24pm

Pakistanis zindabad.

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Anwar kamal

Nov 05, 2014 08:26pm

Why the the Home Minister silent when a pakistani beheaded in Saudi Arabia ?

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Mohammad Iqbal

Nov 05, 2014 08:26pm

It is wrong to attribute confesstions to torture. The root cause of heroine smuggling is afghanistan from where it travels to Peshawar and from there distributed to all airports, and the drug dealers have connections with MPAs/MNAs and customs staff. This ring is so powerful that they have their homes/flats in all major cities of gulf and are never visible to naked eyes. The carriers are paid meagre amount and they risk their lives

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Jatin

Nov 05, 2014 08:42pm

Good job done by Saudi authorities.. These drug traffickers destroys many lives.. They deserve capital punishment..

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Salim A

Nov 05, 2014 08:50pm

Saudi justice system is a sham. There are no open trails nor the defendants given much legal help. The system is rigged to punish people from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, while protecting the Saudis who use drugs not only inside but all over the world. They defy every law they inflict punishment to the poor, when they travel to Europe and US. The Europeans and US citizens consume alcohol an drugs regularly in that country, None will be beheaded or punished. The Saudis know the consequences. So go on with you perverted justice of inflicting pain selectively.

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Nazir

Nov 05, 2014 08:51pm

Blind justice in Saudi Arabia. Accused is deprived of fair trial. Saudi Arabia has long history of such oppression. Those who are supporting it think for a while whether the victim got a chance for fair trial of not. The answer is not.

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Qamar

Nov 05, 2014 09:02pm

Pakistani or Afghan with a Pakistani passport????

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Vikram

Nov 06, 2014 07:35am

It just shows that there is big demand for heroin in Saudi arabia and Pakistanis are the main exporters to Saudi arabia.

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stick2truth

Nov 06, 2014 07:44am

@Salim A This is exactly what I have heard from many from the sub-continent who were in Saudi-Arabia for one reason or other. There is no fair trial, no legal help, defendants often do not understand the language of courst proceedings. The rulers -- members of Saudi royal family -- live an opulent life style either at home or abroad.

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L. Ahmad

Nov 06, 2014 07:48am

@Junaid True. The killer of Salman Taseer is enjoying his new found fame. List goes on.

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Kanchhi

Nov 06, 2014 09:50am

@M. Saeed Awan Dear Saeed the person is a Pakistani not belong to any other nationality - drugs trafficking into other countries is a major business in Pakistan - please understand the message.

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Ammy

Nov 06, 2014 11:04am

It's an atrocity by Saudis. This punishment is not matching with quantum of crime. Not glorifying this crime, but it's wrong, a corrective measure could have been in place to sensitise them of repercussion of drugs on people.

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Danish Haider

Nov 06, 2014 11:39am

Has anyone ever heard of beheading of any Saudi, except Shia Muslim?

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Gaurav Arya

Nov 06, 2014 11:49am

Saudis must have found some justification in Sharia for this beheading. Once you think that your actions are sanctioned by some divine power, then due process has no meaning. One day all this oil will finish. And then this so called royal family will go back to camel herding. Mark my words.

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Truth

Nov 06, 2014 12:54pm

Justice delayed is justice denied!

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