Pakistan’s Supreme Court has delivered a landmark ruling, declaring that acid attacks, legally known as “vitriolage,” are more heinous than homicide. The judgment came after a convict, Abdul Manan, appealed against his life sentence for throwing acid on a young woman in Faisalabad. The Supreme Court upheld the life imprisonment sentence and rejected his appeal seeking leniency.
The three-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, noted that, unlike death, an acid attack victim is condemned to a “living death,” forced to endure lasting physical pain and emotional trauma every day.
The court also issued several strong recommendations to the government. It called on federal and provincial governments to impose a complete ban on the sale of acid to private individuals, and suggested a centralized digital system to monitor any legal acid sales.
The Supreme Court also urged high courts to strictly follow legal timelines for completing trials in acid attack cases to prevent secondary victimization of survivors.
Additionally, the court recommended that acid attack survivors be accommodated under disability quotas and that a National Acid Survivors’ Rehabilitation Fund be established.
The judgment described acid attacks as deeply rooted in gender-based violence, misogyny, and patriarchal aggression. The ruling came days after a separate acid attack on a female doctor in Quetta, making it especially timely and significant for survivors across Pakistan.
