According to the criminal law amendment bill 2022, suicide is no longer considered a crime in Pakistan.
Imagine being imprisoned and left to your thoughts as you suffer from pain that has no apparent aid or cure. Imagine being accused of feeling miserable to a point that you surrender to death. Imagine being punished for not being understood, for taking your life because it is the only thing you thought you had authority over and the terrible state of your mind would not allow you to think otherwise . . . Devastating!
Suicide is a very important yet quite neglected subject. We live in a society, where a person is contemplated guilty and cowardly if he attempts to take his life, where little to no struggle is made to figure out the storm that rages inside one’s head. A society where mental illness is not paid enough heed.
Alarming Increase In the Suicide Rate in Pakistan
The suicide rate in Pakistan alarmingly crossed eight percent in 2019 which is above the worldwide average. According to the WHO, One out of 200 people attempting suicide dies in Pakistan. Public health experts state that around 75 percent population of Pakistan suffers from a mental illness. They either are sad or depressed. Putting them in jail in such conditions would be leading the problem nowhere.
Hence, the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022 has eliminated the penalty for attempted suicide in Pakistan. The bill was passed by President Dr. Arif Alvi. Until now, suicide or attempted suicide was a crime in Pakistan under Section 325 of the Penal Code. It was sanctioned by a year in prison, a fine, or both.
The abolishment of the law where suicide was deemed a crime is the first step into eliminating and dealing with mental sickness that is as important as any other physical ailment. Treating mental illnesses requires to be promoted and normalized to provide people with the help they need but cannot ask for.