Federal Shariat Court Restores Criminalization of Suicide Attempt, Annuls 2022 Amendments

The Federal Shariat Court has issued a significant ruling on legislation related to attempted suicide, declaring the 2022 amendments invalid.

A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rahman, Justice Anwar Iqbal, and Justice Ameer Khan announced the reserved verdict and accepted all petitions filed before the court.

According to the judgment, the court declared the 2022 amendment that decriminalized attempted suicide as un-Islamic and struck it down. The bench also restored the previously deleted provision in the criminal procedure code that had removed suicide attempt from the list of offenses.

The ruling effectively reinstates the criminal status of attempted suicide, reversing legislative changes introduced in 2022 that had decriminalized the act.

The court’s decision is being seen as a major legal development with significant implications for Pakistan’s criminal and religious legal framework.