QSO 1984 § Article 73 — Primary evidence

Statutory text (English)

"Primary evidence" means the document itself produced for the inspection of the
Court.

Explanation 1.— Where a document is executed in several parts, each part is primary evidence of the
document.
Where a document is executed in counterpart, each counterpart being executed by one or some of the
parties only, counterpart is primary evidence as against the parties executing it.

Explanation 2.— Where a number of documents are all made by one uniform process, as in the case of
printing, lithography or photography, each is primary evidence of the contents of the rest; but where they are all
copies of a common original, they are not primary evidence of the contents of the original.
1[
Explanation 3.— A printout or other form of output of an automated information system shall not be
denied the status of primary evidence solely for the reason that it was generated, sent, received or stored in
electronic form if the automated information system was in working order at all material times and, for the
purposes hereof, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, it shall be presumed that the automated information
system was in working order at all material times.

Explanation 4.— A printout or other form of reproduction of an electronic documents, other than a
document mentioned in

Explanation 3 above, first generated, sent, received or stored in electronic form, shall
be treated as primary evidence where a security procedure was applied thereto at the time it was generated,
sent, received or stored.]

Illustration
A person is shown to have been in possession of a number of placards, all printed at one time from one
original. Any one of the placards is primary evidence of the contents of any other, but no one of them is
primary evidence of the contents of the original.

Source and verification

Source citation: Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 (P.O. No. X of 1984) Art. 73: 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. 40, 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. 40) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment version…

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