# Punishment for Qatl-i-Amd: Section 302 PPC

What the Pakistan Penal Code actually says about the punishment for intentional murder —
quoted from the section, not paraphrased.

## The section, as retrieved

> 302. Punishment of qatl-i-amd: Whoever commits qatl-e-amd shall, subject to the provisions
> of this Chapter, be — (a) punished with death as qisas; (b) punished with death or
> imprisonment for life as ta'zir having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case,
> if the proof in either of the forms specified in Section 304 is not available; or (c)
> punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to
> twenty-five years, where according to the Injunctions of Islam the punishment of qisas is
> not applicable.
>
> — Pakistan Penal Code, Chapter XVI, Section 302. 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

**Qatl-i-amd** is intentional murder under Pakistani law, and Section 302 sets out three
distinct routes to punishment:

- **Clause (a) — qisas.** Death as retribution in kind, on the proof required by Section 304.
- **Clause (b) — ta'zir.** Death or life imprisonment at the court's discretion, where that
  specific proof is not available but the offence is otherwise established.
- **Clause (c).** Imprisonment up to twenty-five years, where qisas is not applicable
  according to the Injunctions of Islam.

Which clause applies turns on facts, proof, and the surrounding sections of the same Chapter.

## What this page does not cover

- Proof requirements for qisas under Section 304, or compounding.
- Diyat (compensation) and its calculation.
- Distinctions between qatl-i-amd and other categories of qatl defined earlier in the
  Chapter.
- Amendments made after this text was indexed.

## Frequently asked

**Is the death penalty mandatory for qatl-i-amd under Section 302?** No. The section provides
three distinct outcomes, and which applies depends on the proof available.

**What is the difference between qisas and ta'zir under this section?** Qisas is retribution
in kind on the specific proof required by Section 304. Ta'zir is a discretionary sentence of
death or life imprisonment applied when that proof is not available but the offence is
otherwise established.

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