By Tim Binnall
The Pakistani government has officially banned witchcraft with a new law that imposes a possible seven-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of practicing the proverbial dark arts. According to a local media report, the expansive regulation added to the county's Penal Code criminalizes "practicing, facilitating, or promoting black magic." Those found guilty of the rather nebulous crime could face a prison sentence of six months to seven years in jail and a fine of around $3,500. The law concerning witchcraft is the first of its kind in Pakistan, where such practices have long been a part of the country's culture and had gone completely unregulated.
Government officials indicated that the newly enacted ban was aimed at protecting the public from fraudulent individuals who, as is often the case, turn out to be grifters rather than gifted. To that end, Pakistani media estimated that the country boasts a staggering 50,000 purported mystics claiming to have all manner of supernatural skills available for a price. Pakistan's crackdown on black magic follows a similar trend in the region as neighboring Tajikistan banned the practice nearly 20 years ago and, along with Kyrgyzstan and Iraq, has increased efforts to eradicate the dark arts in recent years.