Pak’s blood law set to be amended

Pakistan is set to reform the Diyat (blood money) law which will allow punishing the criminals even if they are pardoned by the heirs.

Special assistant to Prime Minister on legal affairs, Ashtar Ausaf Ali, said the law will be reformed to award seven to 10 years’ imprisonment to the murderers after they are pardoned by the heirs.

Mr Ali said murder is an offence against the state and that stays on even if the legal heirs pardon the convicts against blood money.

To a question whether amendment will stay in lines with the Islamic injunctions, he said the basic law is not being changed.

“Forgiving murders against blood money is permissible under the Islamic law and that is not being altered,” he said.

He said the need to reform the law has surfaced in view of the fact that rich and powerful people tend to avoid death conviction by dint of their money and influence. The state wants to discourage the rich from taking lives of others.

Mr Ali said a proposal is under consideration to improve the law to protect others from those who take lives and get released on death conviction without suffering any punishment.

“Forgiveness lies with the God. To safeguard the rights of a person is the obligation of the state. Under the proposed reforms, pardon can only be granted if a murderer has been convicted to death. In that case, death will be commuted to jail from seven to 10 years,” he added.

The Qisas (retribution) and Diyat (blood money) law was famously invoked in the case of Raymond Allen Davis, a CIA contractor who shot two men dead in Lahore in 2011. The incident sparked a diplomatic furore which was only resolved when Davis was pardoned in return for Rs 250 million settlement with the men’s families.