ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s parliament is all set to repeal a law that treats attempted suicide as a criminal offence to save lives and abolish the stigma associated with the act, said a mover of the proposed legislation on Thursday.
Section 325 of the British-era Pakistan Penal Code says a person will face imprisonment for a year or financial penalty or both for trying to commit suicide.
Senator Shahadat Awan of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) moved the bill in the upper house of parliament last year to repeal the law. Last week, a parliamentary committee unanimously passed the bill which would now be tabled in the Senate and National Assembly for a vote.
“This is an inhuman colonial-era law which must be repealed to save precious lives and abolish a stigma attached to it,” Awan told Arab News on Thursday.
He noted the law was implemented in a country where, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental disorders accounted for more than four percent of the total disease burden.
It is estimated that 24 million people in Pakistan are in need of psychiatric assistance. However, the country’s resources for screening and treatment of mental health disorders are not enough to meet its growing needs.
WHO maintains Pakistan has one of the lowest number of psychiatrists in the world, adding there are only about 0.19 therapists per 100,000 of its inhabitants.
“We need to realize that someone who attempts to commit suicide must be suffering from depression, mental illness or disorder,” Awan continued.
“The issue of suicide needs to be dealt with as a disease and should be treated as such,” he said while arguing that the existing law jeopardized lives of those who survive an attempt.
The PPP senator said the law made it mandatory for a medical facility to inform the police about an attempted suicide before treating and saving life of the individual concerned.
“Police later arrest such people and charge them for the offence,” he said. “This is a social stigma that needs to be done away.”
The World Health Organization Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan (2021-2030) also calls for the decriminalization of attempted suicide. Such instances are still counted as crime in at least 25 countries across the world including Pakistan.
Dr. Wajahat Khan, a psychiatrist, said that every second or third person out of ten in Pakistan was suffering from some kind of mental or emotional issue that should be addressed without further complications.
“Financial crisis, family issues and unhealthy lifestyle are some of the major reasons behind the deterioration of mental health of our people,” he told Arab News.
Khan said issues like anxiety, depression and stress could be treated with therapy, medicines and family support of a patient.
“Unfortunate, mental health issues are still considered a taboo subject in Pakistan,” he added. “Many people shy away from going to clinics for check-up due to social stigma associated with them.”
