THE arguments in the Senate which led to the deferment of a bill aiming to decriminalise attempted suicide earlier this week, reveal to a large degree why mental health remains a grossly misunderstood concept in Pakistani society. The bill recommended doing away with Section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code that makes both suicide and attempted suicide a criminal offence. Under the law, attempted suicide carries a jail term of up to one year or a fine, or both. However, the bill was deferred over the perception that suicide is forbidden by religion. Interestingly, the Council of Islamic Ideology had unanimously approved a similar bill in 2018 after which it was presented in the National Assembly. Unfortunately, the bill lapsed following a change in government.

According to the WHO, there were 19,331 suicides in 2019 in Pakistan. But these are only the instances that came to light as the social and religious taboo associated with taking one’s own life prevents many cases from being reported as suicide. Moreover, the fact that attempted suicide is a crime punishable by imprisonment discourages many from seeking psychiatric help. The absence of treatment can lead to further suicide attempts which may not fail the second time. A large number of those who are on the verge of taking their own lives have treatable mental disorders, but given the paucity of mental health facilities and social obstacles in the country, their silent cries for help go unheeded and they take the extreme decision to end their life. To throw such people at the mercy of a deeply flawed criminal justice system which offers little to no recourse to the mentally ill is inhumane. Our policymakers must find practical and compassionate solutions to prevent suicides. The first step would be to enable people to seek help. This can only be achieved by decriminalising attempted suicide. The government should also establish a countrywide suicide register that presents accurate data on the number and circumstances of suicidal patients to help devise targeted interventions.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2021