ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Federal Shariat Court on Monday invalidated the 2022 legislation that had decriminalised attempted suicide, ruling it contrary to Islamic principles and restoring the previous legal framework that classified attempted suicide as a criminal offence.
The court accepted petitions challenging the 2022 amendments and determined that the changes were inconsistent with Islamic injunctions. It emphasized that the removal of provisions criminalising attempted suicide from the Code of Criminal Procedure could not withstand judicial scrutiny.
Declaring the relevant law void, the court reinstated the earlier provisions that had been removed, effectively reclassifying attempted suicide as an offence under Pakistani law.
The case was heard by a bench consisting of Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rahman, Justice Muhammad Anwar Iqbal, and Justice Ameer Khan. Legal arguments were presented by lawyers Hamad Hassan Dar and Azam Malik during the proceedings.
The court had reserved its judgment previously and announced the verdict after concluding the hearings on Monday. The 2022 amendments had eliminated the clause criminalising attempted suicide from the Code of Criminal Procedure, a decision now overturned by the court.
No immediate response from the government was available following the ruling.
