QSO 1984 § Article 71 — Oral evidence must be direct

Statutory text (English)

Oral evidence must, in all cases whatever be direct, that is to say—
If it refers to a fact which could be seen, it must be the evidence of a witness who says he saw it;
If it refers to a fact which could be heard, it must be the evidence of a witness who says he heard it;
If it refers to a fact, which could be perceived by any other sense or in any other manner, it must be the
evidence of a witness who says he perceived it by that sense or in that manner;
If it refers to an opinion or to the grounds on which that opinion is held, it must be the evidence of the
person who holds that opinion on those grounds:

Provided that the opinions of experts expressed in any treaties commonly offered for sale, and the grounds
on which such opinions are held, may be proved by the production of such treaties if the author is dead, or
cannot be found, or has become incapable of giving evidence, or cannot be called as a witness without an
amount of delay or expense which the Court regards as unreasonable:

Provided further that, if oral evidence refers to the existence or condition of any material thing other than a
document, the Court may, if it thinks fit, require the production of such material thing for its inspection:

Provided further that, if a witness is dead, or can not be found or has become incapable of giving evidence,
or his attendance cannot, be procured without an amount of delay or expense which under the circumstances of
the case the Court regards as unreasonable, a party shall have the right to produce, “shahada ala al-shahadah”
by which a witness can appoint two witnesses to depose on his behalf, except in the case of Hudood.

Source and verification

Source citation: Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 (P.O. No. X of 1984) Art. 71: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE QANUN-E-SHAHADAT ORDER 1984 (LAW OF EVIDENCE)' (P.O. No. X of 1984, last amended 2017-02-16 incl. Act No. IV of 2017), p. 39, ingested 2026-09-15. Automated transcription from official source (pypdf extraction, audited artifact repair); human admin re-check required before production.

Verification status: verified · Text status: auto_transcribed_verified_source

The record cites an official source, but its transcription is automated or only partly checked; a human re-check is pending.

Official Urdu text status: pending_official_urdu_text. Where official Urdu wording has not been sourced, Qanoon does not substitute an unverified translation for the statutory text.

Historical text notes

1 historical record is linked to this section. Historical wording may be incomplete or pending verification; it is not presented as current law.

• Date not confirmed: Consolidated current text as published in the official Pakistan Code PDF (p. 39) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment version…

Read this provision with care

This is a public reference to a stored statute record, not legal advice or a case-specific interpretation. Check the latest official gazette, applicable amendments and jurisdiction before relying on the text. A citation and verification label describe the record in this app; they cannot confirm that no later change has occurred. For a real legal matter, consult a licensed advocate.

Use the full QSO 1984 section index to compare nearby provisions, or return to search.