Diyat Amount in Pakistan 2026-27: Rs 19,352,390, Nearly Double Last Year, and How It Is Paid

Diyat is the blood money a court orders an offender to pay to the heirs of a person who was killed. The figure matters in road accident deaths, in killings without intent and in compromises in murder cases. Below are the new amount, how it is paid, who receives it and what happens if the offender cannot pay.

Diyat for 2026-27 is Rs 19,352,390

The Finance Division's notification dated 27 July 2026 declares Rs 19,352,390 as the value of 30,630 grams of silver for 2026-27. Courts treat this as the lowest diyat they can fix for a death during the financial year, from July 2026 to June 2027.

The notification was issued by the Internal Finance Wing and sent for publication in the Gazette of Pakistan. A copy went to the Law and Justice Division with a request to send it to all courts and bar associations. The figure is based on a State Bank of Pakistan letter dated 2 July 2026.

Section 323 of the Penal Code says the court fixes diyat "subject to the Injunctions of Islam" and keeping in view the financial position of the convict and of the heirs. It also says the amount "shall not be less than" the value of 30,630 grams of silver. So the notified figure is a floor, not a fixed price. A court can order more.

The amount nearly doubled because silver prices rose

Diyat is tied to the price of silver, not to inflation. The 2026-27 figure works out to about Rs 632 a gram of silver, against about Rs 321 a gram in 2025-26. So the minimum diyat rose by Rs 9,523,720, or about 97 per cent, in one year.

The law asks the federal government to declare the silver value on 1 July each year, or on another date it decides. In practice the notification comes in July, August or later. The Finance Division also issued notifications for 2022-23 and 2024-25, which appear in its circulars list.

Diyat applies in five kinds of killing cases

Diyat is the main penalty when a death was caused without intent to kill. It applies in qatl-i-khata (killing by mistake), in deaths caused by rash or negligent driving, in qatl-bis-sabab (death caused by an unlawful act) and in qatl shibh-i-amd. It is also the floor for some murder compromises.

Road accident deaths are the most common diyat cases. Bail and compromise for drivers are covered in the 320 PPC accident death case explainer. For intentional murder, the rules on qisas and compromise are in the 302 PPC guide. In a murder compromise where an adult heir agrees, the heirs can settle for any amount they accept. The diyat floor applies only where the heir is a minor or insane, or where the government is the heir.

Diyat can be paid in instalments over five years

Section 331 lets a court order diyat in one lump sum or in instalments spread over five years from the final judgment. At the 2026-27 minimum, five equal yearly payments would be about Rs 3.87 million each. Spread over 60 months, that is about Rs 322,540 a month.

Here is how payment usually runs once a court fixes diyat:

1. The court fixes the diyat amount in the judgment, at or above Rs 19,352,390.
2. The court says whether it is a lump sum or instalments, and the schedule.
3. The convict deposits the money in court as each payment falls due.
4. The court pays it out to the legal heirs by their inheritance shares.
5. When the full amount is paid, the diyat part of the sentence ends.

If the convict does not pay in time, the court can keep the convict in jail as if under simple imprisonment until the diyat is paid. The court can instead release the convict on bail against security or a surety equal to the diyat, or on parole under the rules. If the convict dies first, the unpaid diyat is recovered from the convict's estate.

Diyat goes to the heirs by their inheritance shares

Section 330 says diyat is shared among the victim's heirs according to their shares in inheritance. Each heir's share follows the same rules as the victim's property. If one heir gives up a share, that part is not recovered from the offender.

So a widow, children and parents can each have a different share. A share can be forgiven by one heir while another heir still claims theirs. The shares are worked out the same way as in the inheritance shares guide. Where heirs are minors, their share is handled through a guardian, and the court keeps a close eye on any waiver made for them.

Injury cases use a different payment called arsh, which is a fixed fraction of diyat for each kind of injury. With diyat at Rs 19,352,390, the arsh for a broken tooth or the loss of one eye also rose sharply. Hurt cases and their arsh fractions are explained in the 337 PPC hurt sections guide.

Common questions

What is the diyat amount in Pakistan in 2026?

For the financial year 2026-27, the minimum is Rs 19,352,390, the value of 30,630 grams of silver notified by the Finance Division on 27 July 2026.

Can a court order more than Rs 19,352,390?

Yes. Section 323 sets this as the lowest amount. The court fixes the actual diyat after looking at the financial position of the convict and the victim's heirs.

How long does a convict get to pay diyat?

Up to five years from the final judgment, in a lump sum or instalments, as the court orders.

What happens if the convict cannot pay diyat?

The convict can be kept in jail as if under simple imprisonment until the diyat is paid, or released on bail against security or surety equal to the amount, or on parole under the rules.

Who receives the diyat money?

The legal heirs of the victim, in their inheritance shares. An heir who gives up a share is not paid that part.

Does the 2026-27 amount apply to an accident in 2025?

The law says the notified silver value is the value payable during a financial year. Ask your lawyer which year's value the court will apply in your case, since this turns on the dates and the stage of the case.

How we verified this

What we checked and where we read it.

Last checked 14 November 2026. We read the Finance Division's diyat notification for 2026-27, dated 27 July 2026, from the Finance Division circulars page, along with its notifications for 2025-26 (18 August 2025), 2023-24 (4 September 2023) and 2021-22 (14 July 2021). The 2022-23 and 2024-25 notifications are scanned images, so their figures are not in the table. Sections 310, 316, 319, 320, 322, 323, 330 and 331 come from the Pakistan Penal Code on Pakistan Code. The per gram values, the increase and the instalment examples are our arithmetic. This page explains the law and is not legal advice.