Senate passes landmark bill criminalising necrophilia in Pakistan

Bill emphasises sanctity of the dead, aligning the legislation with Islamic teachings

The Senate made a significant legal advancement on Wednesday by unanimously approving amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), officially criminalising necrophilia. This comes after years of a legal gap on the matter.

Necrophilia, which involves sexual attraction or assault towards a deceased body, was not previously addressed in Pakistan’s criminal laws. The amendment seeks to fill this void.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, held a meeting at the Parliament House, with Senators Irfan-ul-Haq Siddiqui and Samina Mumtaz Zehri, as well as officials from various departments, in attendance.

The committee unanimously approved the "Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2024," introduced by Senator Zehri. The bill highlights the disturbing occurrences of necrophilia in Pakistan, noting that similar laws have already been implemented in other countries to criminalise such acts.

The amendment specifically revises Section 377 of the PPC, which pertains to "unnatural offences." Previously, this section covered carnal intercourse with any man, woman, or animal, but with this new bill, it will now include deceased bodies, making necrophilia punishable by life imprisonment.

The bill emphasises the sanctity of the dead, aligning the legislation with Islamic teachings. Quoting a hadith, the bill notes, "To break the bone of a deceased person is akin to breaking the bone of a living person." It also categorises necrophilia not just as zina (adultery) but as a hudd crime, meaning it violates divine law.

The amendment addresses a loophole in the legal framework, where necrophilia had been overlooked. Initially, Senator Zehri proposed including children in the expanded definition, but legal advisors recommended that the changes focus solely on deceased bodies. The committee passed the bill unanimously.

The urgency of this law is underscored by recent cases of necrophilia. In Karachi last month, a man was arrested for allegedly desecrating a grave and sexually assaulting the corpse of a recently buried woman.

In a notorious 2011 case, a man admitted to defiling the bodies of 48 women over an eight-year period at a Karachi cemetery. With this legal amendment, Pakistan seeks to ensure that such heinous acts are met with appropriate legal consequences.