# Attempt to Murder: Section 324 PPC

What the Pakistan Penal Code actually says about attempt to commit qatl-i-amd — quoted from
the section, not paraphrased.

## The section, as retrieved

> 324. Attempt to commit qatl-i-amd: Whoever does any act with such intention or knowledge,
> and under such circumstances, that, if he by that act caused qatl, he would be guilty of
> qatl-i-amd, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may
> extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine, and, if hurt is caused to any person
> by such act, the offender shall, in addition to the imprisonment and fine as aforesaid, be
> liable to the punishment provided for the hurt caused. Provided that where the punishment
> for the hurt is qisas which is not executable, the offender shall be liable to arsh and may
> also be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to
> seven years.
>
> — Pakistan Penal Code, Chapter XVI, Section 324. Retrieved from the corpus indexed by FAI
> Legal Research Assistant. Unverified for currency or amendment — confirm against an
> official or recently updated source before relying on it.

## What this means

Section 324 punishes an act done with the intention or knowledge that, had it caused death,
would have amounted to qatl-i-amd under
[Section 302](https://failegal.site/murder-punishment-pakistan) — the attempt is punished on
its own, up to ten years plus a fine, independently of whether death resulted. Where the act
also causes hurt short of death, the offender is separately liable to whatever punishment
applies to that hurt.

The proviso addresses an overlap with Islamic criminal law: where the hurt would ordinarily
carry qisas but qisas cannot be executed, the offender is instead liable to arsh and may
additionally face up to seven years' imprisonment.

## What this page does not cover

- The completed offence of qatl-i-amd — see
  [Section 302](https://failegal.site/murder-punishment-pakistan).
- The definitions of qisas, arsh, and the categories of hurt referenced in the proviso.
- Attempt provisions for other categories of qatl (qatl-i-khata, shibh-i-amd).
- Amendments made after this text was indexed.

## Frequently asked

**Is attempt to murder punished the same as murder itself?** No. Section 324 carries up to
ten years plus a fine, materially less than Section 302's punishments for a completed
qatl-i-amd.

**What happens if the attempt also causes injury?** The offender is liable under Section 324
for the attempt and separately for whatever punishment applies to the hurt caused, subject to
the arsh proviso where qisas cannot be executed.

- [Punishment for qatl-i-amd](https://failegal.site/murder-punishment-pakistan)