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ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Tuesday considered a bill proposing amendments to blood money (diyat) law including the one to fix the minimum blood money at two kilograms of gold.
The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Farooq H. Naek, considered the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, introduced by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri.
A proposed amendment to Section 323 of the Pakistan Penal Code, seeks to substitute minimum blood money from 30,630 grams of silver to 2,000 grams of gold or one fourth of the assets held by the convict.
The bill also seeks to amend Section 330 of the PPC, by adding a new proviso and explanation. It also proposes to amend Section 331 to reduce the time for payment of diyat in instalments from five years to one year.
CII chairman opposes bill but says final opinion will be given after council’s meeting
Senator Kamran Murtaza of JUI-F opposed the bill saying that the payment of diyat according to silver value has an Islamic background and its conversion to gold was a non-issue.
He said the 30,630 grams value was the minimum and the heirs of victim may refuse to accept the minimum and ask for more for a compromise.
The chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) also opposed all the three proposed amendments but said a final opinion will be given after a meeting of CII.
He also submitted a report to the committee which says that according to Islamic principles, the diyat payment can be made as per value of silver, gold and camels, and excluding expression of silver would be un-Islamic.
It also says the government cannot keep the diyat amount with it if the heirs are free to forego. It says the time for payment of diyat should neither be one year nor five years and it should be fixed at three years.
Senator Shahadat Awan of PPP said the Chairman of CII has expressed his personal opinion. He said it was an important Islamic and legal matter and a decision on this must not be taken in haste.
Speaking on the occasion, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, the bill’s mover, said the issue of blood money has long been a matter of concern for both jurists and the judiciary.
Ms Zehri highlighted that the bill seeks to modernise the valuation mechanism of diyat taking into account contemporary economic conditions and the spirit of Shariah.
The statement of objects and reasons clarified that since traditional assets like camels, gold, and silver have fluctuated significantly in value and accessibility, a modern framework is essential to ensure fairness for both victims’ families and offenders.
It is also necessary to create deterrence so that no one simply pays blood money and gets away, while the victim’s family suffers.
The committee recognised that the minimum amount of diyat must be consistent with Sharia stipulations and any amendment must strictly adhere to the injunctions of the Holy Quran and Sharia.
Given the sensitive nature of the matter, the committee resolved to defer further deliberations to allow for comprehensive input from all relevant stakeholders.
The ministry of interior will be invited to share their viewpoints, particularly on the practical implementation of the proposed amendments.
Furthermore, the committee sought the final opinion of the CII, so that no legislation on diyat falls outside the bounds of Quranic principles.
The ministry of law was directed to compile a comparative chart on values of silver, gold, etc., and to outline the prevailing practices in other Muslim countries.
Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025
