- A Pakistani man who tried to set up a gay club was detained in a mental hospital, per The Telegraph.
- Friends told the outlet they had been barred from visiting him, and were concerned for his safety.
- In Pakistan, same-sex intercourse is punishable by imprisonment and can carry a life sentence.
A man who tried to establish Pakistan's first gay club was detained in a mental hospital by local authorities, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper reported that the man, who chose to remain anonymous, filed an application to set up an LGBTQ+ club in Abbottabad, a military town in northern Pakistan known for being the site of Osama bin Laden's secret compound. Bin Laden was killed there in 2011.
According to The Telegraph, the man wrote in the application filed to the city's deputy commissioner that the club would be a "great convenience and resource for many homosexual, bisexual, and even some heterosexual people residing in Abbottabad in particular."
Same-sex intercourse in Pakistan is punishable by imprisonment ranging from two years up to a life sentence.
Though prosecutions are rare, the UK's Home Office notes that members of the LGBTQ+ communities in Pakistan may hide their sexuality over fears of abuse, discrimination, and honor killings.
The Telegraph reported that the application for the proposed club said it was going to be called "Lorenzo gay club," and there would be "no gay (or non-gay) sex (other than kissing").
It added that a sign would be visible on the wall warning that no sex would be allowed on the premises, meaning anti-sodomy laws would not be "flouted on the premises," according to the newspaper.
The deputy commissioner for Abbottabad did not immediately respond to a Business Insider request for comment.
However, his office confirmed receipt of the proposal to The Telegraph, adding that it was under review.
The outlet reported that the application had leaked online and caused outrage among local politicians.
A member of the far-right Awami Tehreek party threatened to douse the building in petrol and set it on fire if permission was granted, per The Telegraph.
According to the British newspaper, the applicant was transferred to the Sarhad Hospital For Psychiatric Disease in Peshawar. His friends told The Telegraph that they had been barred from visiting him, and were concerned for his safety.
Before being detained, the applicant told the newspaper: "I talk about human rights, and I want everyone's human rights to be defended."
He also told the newspaper that if authorities refused the application, he would take it to court.