Senate clears Criminal Laws (Amend) Bill: Push to end death penalty for specific crimes

ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of the Parliament, Friday, passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, a legislative draft that seeks to abolish death penalty for anyone found guilty of the crimes like “assault or criminal force to women, and stripping her of her clothes,” and “harbouring hijacker.”

The bill mainly replaces death penalty with life imprisonment in the cases involving aforementioned offences.

Interior State Minister Talal Chaudhry presented the bill in the Senate session, following its passage by the relevant standing committee earlier, presided over by Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan.

The senators including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentary Leader in Senate Ali Zafar and Samina Mumtaz Zehri from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) opposed the bill— that was still passed by the House.

“In my opinion, this is a very serious offence—that warrants death penalty,” Zafar said, adding that the law endorsing death penalty in above-mentioned cases was passed by the Senate and the National Assembly after thorough consideration.

Zehri, who is also the Chairperson of Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights, supported death penalty in cases involving serious assault on women, saying, more stringent laws be introduced and implemented in this regard.

“From where did this thought come to our minds that severity of a punishment can stop a crime?” the law minister responded.

“This myth is wrong,” the minister argued.

“There is no death penalty in the entire Europe. The crime rate is only two percent. Jails are empty there. They are converting their jails to museums—on the other hand, we have death penalty for 80, 90 or 100 crimes—but crime rate here touches the sky,” he added.

“Unfortunately, the Senate and the National Assembly did not pass this law. It came from a martial law administrator,” he said, referring to Zia-ul-Haq.

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in an effort to comply with the requirements of GSP+, and Pakistan's international commitments under ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), three meetings with all stakeholders were held—to review reduction of the death penalty in order to bring it in line with international law and Islamic jurisprudence.

The Statement adds that the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control proposed the draft Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposing omission of death penalty from Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 with an alternative punishment of life imprisonment in the relevant sections.

Meanwhile, the House also passed the Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

Also, the National Agri-trade and Food Safety Authority Ordinance 2025 was laid in the House. The Senate session was adjourned till Monday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025