Pakistan, Sept. 23 -- Pakistan has learnt to speak in whispers around certain subjects. Not because there is nothing left to say, but because in some conversations the act of speaking can become part of the story itself.

Few cases illustrate that predicament more starkly than that of Junaid Hafeez.

The former university lecturer was arrested in Multan on March 13, 2013, over allegations concerning material posted online. A sessions court sentenced him to death in December 2019. His appeal has remained before the Lahore High Court since 2020 and, in May this year, failed once again to receive a substantive hearing despite being placed on the court's "red cause list", intended to give older cases priority.

Thirteen years is a long time i...