Senate panel passes three bills including Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday passed three bills including Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which seeks to award death sentence or life imprisonment without parole to rapists.

All the three bills passed by Senate panel were moved by Barrister Muhammad Javed Abbasi from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).

In its meeting, the committee took up the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and passed it with majority vote. The bills provided for stringent punishment; death or life imprisonment without parole (till death) to anyone found involved in rape.

Leader of the House in Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem opposed the bill. He recommended that the bill needs further deliberations and legal aspects in consequence of this bill (if passed by the Parliament) need to be thoroughly considered.

However, the committee passed the bill by majority vote.

“Strong legislation suggesting stringent punishments must be formulated to deal with the ever growing cases of rape including child abuse across the country. Such bills are the need of the hour,” said committee Chairman Abdul Rehman Malik.

The committee recommended that a related Ordinance which has already been notified by the federal, government should also be clubbed with the bill during the stage of its consideration.

The committee also passed another Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, also moved by Abbasi, which provides for stringent punishments including death sentence against rape of human corpses.

The committee also passed the third bill; The Fatal Accidents (Amendment) Bill, 2020, moved by Abbasi. The bill seeks to ensure speedy justice and enable legal heirs of the victims of road accidents to get compensation in case of death in fatal accidents in jurisdiction of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

The Pakistan Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2021 jointly moved by Mirza Muhammad Afridi and Kauda Babar as well as The Islamabad Capital Territory Trust (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020, moved by Mushtaq Ahmed were deferred due to the absence of the movers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021