Offences relating to narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances: Proposed abolishment of capital punishment opposed

ISLAMABAD: Opposing the proposed abolishment of capital punishment for offences relating to narcotics drugs, psychotropic substance and controlled substances by the Ministry of Narcotics Control through an amendment bill, a parliamentary body on Monday asked the ministry to amend the bill, proposing death penalty for people involved in peddling of more than 10kg of cocaine, ice, and heroine.

The Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control met with Senator Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhary in the chair, while taking up "Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) (second amendment) Act 2020", seeking abolishment of death penalty and award of life imprisonment in cases of narcotics, psychotropic and controlled substances.

The committee, unanimously, opposed abolishment of death penalty in the proposed law by the ministry and issued directives to include the amendment proposed by the committee in the bill regarding death penalty for people involved in peddling of cocaine, ice and heroine, and present it again before it during the next meeting.

The committee was of the view that cases involving the use and peddling of cocaine, ice and heroine must be reviewed on a scale more severe than others.

It was agreed by consensus that possession beyond 10kg of cocaine, ice and heroine must be awarded death.

According to officials of the Ministry of Narcotics Control, the CNS act amendment bill 2020 has been passed. A total of 34 amendments have been proposed in the CNS act. Section 9 of the act relates to punishments and it is being amended in detail and death penalty is being abolished.

According to the bill, the punishments in case of narcotics substances shall be three years to life imprisonment, punishment in case of psychotropic substances shall be two months to life imprisonment and punishment in case of controlled substances shall be two months to life imprisonment.

The official said that punishment for drug peddlers has been increased in the proposed bill.

The committee stressed that there is a need for amendments to ensure stringent penalties to ensure that no further loss of life takes place at the hands of peddlers.

The members of the committee said that categorization of drugs was needed to ensure that minimum possession ensured maximum punishment.

Senator Shahadat Awan said that death penalty for narcotics related offence should not be abolished and CNS laws must be more strengthened.

Senator Attar-ur-Rehman, while opposing the proposal of abolishment of death penalty, said that did awarding death penalty to those who were playing with the lives of our young generation wrong?

"Those who were found involved in drug peddling should be hanged 10 times instead of one," Rehman said. The meeting was also attended by Senator Falak Naz, Dost Muhammad Khan, Senator Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, Naseebullah Bazai, Muhammad Shafiq Tareen, and senior officers from the Ministry of Narcotics Control, Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) along with all concerned.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021