The Federal Shariat Court restored Pakistan’s Suicide Attempt Law on Monday by reviving Section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which criminalises attempted suicide.
A three-member bench declared the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2022 un-Islamic and struck down the amendment that had decriminalised suicide attempts.
Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rahman, Justice Dr Syed Muhammad Anwer and Justice Ameer Muhammad Khan announced the reserved verdict.
Then-President Arif Alvi had approved the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2022 in December 2022. The law repealed Section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
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Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Shahadat Awan had introduced the amendment bill in September 2021. The Senate passed it in May 2022, and the National Assembly approved it in October 2022.
Section 325 states that anyone who attempts suicide and acts toward committing the offence may face simple imprisonment for up to one year, a fine or both.
Advocate Hammad Saeed Dar challenged the amendment before the Federal Shariat Court. He argued that repealing the law violated the injunctions of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
