Govt almost doubles blood money payment to heirs of victim on account of rising silver prices

ISLAMABAD: With an unprecedented 97pc increase, the federal government on Tuesday set the value of blood money (diyat) at more than Rs19 million for the fiscal year 2026-27.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance, the government set the value of diyat at Rs19,352,390, as required under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 1860.

Diyat is compensation for murder payable by the offender to the heirs of the victim.

The amount reflects the value of 30,630 grams of silver under subsection (2) of Section 323 of the PPC.

The notified value of blood money marks an increase of around 97pc from the FY2025-26 value of Rs9,828,670, mainly because of an increase in the value of silver.

The notified value of diyat stood at Rs6,757,902 for FY2023-24, which also marked a phenomenal 56pc increase over Rs4,318,524 in FY2022-23.

Section 323 of the PPC requires that the court, subject to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah and keeping in view the financial position of the convict and the heirs of the victim, fix the value of diyat, which should not be less than the value of 30,630 grams of silver.

Subsection (2) requires the federal government to declare, through a notification in the official Gazette, the value of silver on the first day of July each year, or on a date it may deem fit, which will determine the diyat amount for the fiscal year.

In July 2025, an amendment was proposed in the Senate seeking to substitute minimum blood money from 30,630 grams of silver to 2,000 grams of gold or one fourth of the assets held by the convict.