Pakistan Law: Laws, Sections & Acts — The Complete Guide
The definitive citizen’s guide to Pakistani law — how the system works, which courts matter, the PPC sections everyone cites, the major acts, and where to read every statute free.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
Pakistani law is a common-law system built on British-era codes, headed by the Constitution of 1973 as the supreme law. Criminal offences are defined in the Pakistan Penal Code (1860) — Section 302 (murder), 324 (attempted murder), 376 (rape), 420 (cheating) and 295-C (blasphemy) are the most cited. Courts run from district judiciary up through five High Courts to the Supreme Court. Nearly 1,000 federal statutes are readable free on the official Pakistan Code portal (pakistancode.gov.pk), launched in August 2023.
At a glance
Pakistan law in numbers
The scale of the statute book — and the handful of codes that do most of the work.
Federal laws on Pakistan Code
Constitution in force
High Courts
Pakistan Penal Code enacted
Foundations
How the legal system of Pakistan works
Common-law roots, an Islamic republic’s constitution, and a court ladder every citizen should understand.
Pakistan’s legal system is built on the common law inherited from British India — judges decide cases by applying statutes and the binding precedents of higher courts. Sitting above every statute is the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, the supreme law of the land: any law inconsistent with it is void to the extent of the inconsistency. The Constitution also weaves in Islamic provisions — the Objectives Resolution is a substantive part of it (Article 2A), and no law may be repugnant to the injunctions of Islam, a question the Federal Shariat Court can examine.
The Constitution (1973)
Supreme law; sets out fundamental rights, the federation’s structure and the powers of Parliament, the executive and the judiciary. Amended 26 times (the 26th Amendment, 2024, reformed judicial appointments).
Federal statutes
Acts of Parliament — the PPC, CrPC, CPC and hundreds more — collected on the official Pakistan Code portal (pakistancode.gov.pk), which hosts nearly 1,000 federal laws free of charge.
Provincial laws
Each province’s assembly legislates on subjects in its domain — police, local government, education, health. Provincial statutes sit alongside federal law and must also conform to the Constitution.
The courts
The court hierarchy
From the district courts where most cases begin, to the Supreme Court whose word is final.
| Level | Courts | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Apex | Supreme Court of Pakistan (Islamabad) | Final court of appeal; original jurisdiction in fundamental-rights and inter-governmental disputes; its decisions bind all courts below |
| High | 5 High Courts — Lahore, Sindh (Karachi), Peshawar, Balochistan (Quetta), Islamabad | Appeals from lower courts; constitutional petitions (writs) under Article 199; supervision of subordinate judiciary |
| Shariat | Federal Shariat Court | Examines whether laws are repugnant to Islamic injunctions; hears hudood appeals |
| District | District & Sessions Courts, civil courts, magistrates | Trials of criminal and civil cases — where the vast majority of litigation starts |
| Special | Anti-terrorism courts, accountability courts, banking courts, tribunals | Specialised jurisdictions created by specific statutes |
Criminal law
Pakistan Penal Code: the sections everyone asks about
The PPC (1860) is Pakistan’s core criminal statute. These are the sections that appear in exams, news reports and FIRs.
| Section | Offence (plain English) |
|---|---|
| 302 | Qatl-i-amd — intentional murder. Punishment: death as qisas, or life imprisonment / up to 25 years as ta’zir; diyat may apply |
| 324 | Attempt to commit qatl-i-amd (attempted murder) |
| 34 | Common intention — all participants liable for an act done in furtherance of a shared plan |
| 365 | Kidnapping / abduction |
| 376 | Rape |
| 379 / 380 | Theft / theft in a dwelling house |
| 392 / 395 | Robbery / dacoity (robbery by five or more persons) |
| 419 / 420 | Cheating by personation / cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property |
| 506 | Criminal intimidation (threats) |
| 295-B / 295-C | Defiling the Holy Quran / derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) |
| 124-A | Sedition — exciting disaffection against the state |
| 148 / 149 | Rioting with deadly weapon / every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of the common offence |
Procedure runs on two companion codes: the Criminal Procedure Code (1898) — how arrests, FIRs, bail and trials work — and the Civil Procedure Code (1908) for civil suits. Evidence in both is governed by the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984.
Statutes
Major acts every Pakistani should know
Beyond the codes, a handful of statutes shape daily life, business and politics.
Constitution of Pakistan, 1973
The supreme law: fundamental rights (Articles 8–28), the federation, and the separation of powers. The 26th Amendment (2024) changed how judges are appointed and how suo motu powers work.
Pakistan Penal Code, 1860
Defines crimes and punishments — from theft and cheating to murder — blending colonial drafting with Islamic punishments (qisas, diyat, arsh, daman) added in the 1990s.
Contract Act, 1872
Governs agreements, offer and acceptance, and breach — the backbone of business dealings.
Companies Act, 2017
Registration, governance and winding up of companies; administered by the SECP.
NAB Ordinance, 1999
Created the National Accountability Bureau for corruption cases; repeatedly amended, most recently in the 2022–23 reform rounds.
PECA, 2016
Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act — cybercrime, online harassment, fake news and data offences; amended in 2025 to create new digital-crime authorities.
Access
Reading Pakistani law free online
You no longer need a lawyer’s library to read the actual text of a statute.
Pakistan Code
pakistancode.gov.pk — the Ministry of Law’s official portal, launched August 2023, hosting nearly 1,000 digitised, updated federal laws with Android/iOS apps and QR-code traceability. Free.
Court websites
The Supreme Court and the five High Courts publish judgments and cause lists online — the starting point for case law research at zero cost.
Urdu translations
The Law Ministry has begun uploading Urdu translations of the most-viewed federal laws — the first official plain-language bridge for non-English readers.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
The questions Pakistanis ask most about their laws — answered plainly.
What is the supreme law of Pakistan?
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973. Every statute, ordinance and executive action must conform to it; courts can strike down laws inconsistent with it.
What is Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code?
Section 302 PPC punishes qatl-i-amd (intentional murder) — with death as qisas, death or life imprisonment as ta’zir where qisas proof is unavailable, or up to 25 years’ imprisonment. It is the most cited section in Pakistani criminal law.
Where can I read Pakistani laws online for free?
On the official Pakistan Code portal (pakistancode.gov.pk), launched by the Ministry of Law in August 2023 with nearly 1,000 digitised federal laws, plus Android/iOS apps. Court judgments are published free on the Supreme Court and High Court websites.
How many laws are there in Pakistan?
There is no single official total. The federal government hosts nearly 1,000 federal statutes on the Pakistan Code portal — and each of the four provinces has its own hundreds of provincial laws, plus rules and regulations. The full statute book runs into several thousand laws.
What are the main types of law in Pakistan?
Criminal law (PPC, CrPC), civil law (CPC, Contract Act, property laws), constitutional law (the 1973 Constitution), family/personal law, commercial law (Companies Act 2017), tax law and cyber law (PECA 2016).
Is Pakistani law available in Urdu?
Increasingly. The Law Ministry has begun uploading official Urdu translations of the most-viewed federal laws to the Pakistan Code portal, alongside private publishers’ Urdu editions of the PPC and Constitution.
Explore government & politics
Constitutions, elections, institutions and the laws that govern them — browse the full Government & Politics collection.
This guide is for general information, not legal advice. Statute texts change with amendments — always check the current version on pakistancode.gov.pk or consult a lawyer for your specific matter.