5.6. Punishments under the law

Pakistan’s legal system offers a range of punishments. The imposition of these punishments, while often regulated by clear legal provisions, remains subject to judicial discretion.1143 Punishments under the PPC are listed in its section 53 and include the death penalty, imprisonment for life, imprisonment of two descriptions – rigorous imprisonment with hard labour and simple imprisonment1144 without hard labour1145 – forfeiture of property, and fines.1146 For information on the death penalty, see section 5.8. Death penalty. If an individual has been convicted of an offence for which the court ‘has power to sentence him to rigorous imprisonment, the court may […] order that the offender shall be kept in solitary confinement for any portion or portions of the imprisonment to which he is sentenced, not exceeding three months in the whole’ (section 73).1147 However, solitary confinement ‘shall in no case exceed fourteen days at a time’ (section 74).1148 Apart from these punishments, the PPC provides for qisas, ta’azir,1149 hudud1150 and other punishments based on Islamic law.1151 For further information on Sharia-based punishments under statutory law as well as information on punishments imposed within the context of informal justice systems, see section 5.5. Punishments under the law of the previous EUAA COI report Pakistan - Country Focus (December 2024).