ISLAMABAD – The federal government has officially announced the amount of diyat for the fiscal year 2021-2022, fixing it at Rs 4.26 million. This amount corresponds to the value of 30,630 grams of silver, as prescribed under Islamic injunctions and outlined in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
A notification issued by the Ministry of Finance confirmed the declaration, stating that the specified amount of diyat will serve as the applicable compensation rate for the current fiscal year. According to the law, this amount is revised annually based on the prevailing market value of silver and is published in the official Gazette.
Diyat is a form of financial compensation paid to the victim or the heirs of a victim in cases of murder (qatl), bodily injury, or even damage to property. It is one of the Islamic punishments mentioned in Section 53 of the PPC, which lists various forms of legal penalties in Pakistan. These include qisas, diyat, arsh, daman, ta’zir, and others, including life imprisonment and capital punishment.
Under Section 323 of the PPC, the law clearly mandates that the amount of diyat must be equal to the value of 30,630 grams of silver, and it must not fall below this threshold. The court is also instructed to consider the financial circumstances of both the convict and the heirs of the victim before determining the final amount payable as diyat. However, the government’s annual notification sets the minimum benchmark.
Section 308 of the PPC outlines situations in which an offender may be liable to pay diyat instead of facing qisas. This includes cases where qisas (retaliation) is not applicable—such as when the offender is a minor or mentally unfit, or where legal heirs of the victim are not available to demand qisas. In such cases, the offender must pay the diyat amount, which serves as a substitute punishment.
The amount of diyat plays a crucial role in Pakistan’s criminal justice system, especially in cases of qatl-i-amd (intentional murder) where qisas cannot be enforced. By linking the compensation to the value of silver, the law ensures a consistent and transparent mechanism for determining the diyat amount each year.
Thus, the government’s latest notification ensures clarity for courts, victims’ families, and the accused regarding the applicable diyat amount, reinforcing justice within the Islamic legal framework.