ISLAMABAD: The federal government Thursday moved the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Bill 2022 in Senate, which attracted strong criticism from the opposition against the backdrop of the alleged custodial torture inflicted on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill by the Islamabad Police.
“Where is the state? – they (government) come up with this bill — but what they have done to Shahbaz Gill is in front of everyone,” remarked Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Dr Shahzad Waseem, speaking on the floor of the house.
“Shahbaz Gill has breathing problem—he is struggling with his breath. This government’s appetite to unleash tyranny on political opponents is simply insatiable,” he said.
“The entire Islamabad Police is in PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences). They are desperate to get hold of Shahbaz Gill, subject him to inhuman torture yet again and extract false confessions,” the opposition leader deplored.
The opposition then staged a walkout from Senate in protest to the alleged torture on Gill by the Islamabad Police.
Earlier, State Minister for Law Shahadat Awan presented the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Bill 2022 that was referred to the relevant standing committee by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani.
According to the statement of objects and reasons of this bill, it is the duty of the state to provide protection, either directly or by means of institutional mechanism, to its citizens against all kind of torture and right to fair trial.
Pakistan is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which protect the right to dignity of any person who has been held in custody, the statement says.
“Despite constitutional provisions and guarantees, there is no precise definition or penalization of the acts of torture within the criminal law regime of Pakistan. Therefore, the object of the Bill is to criminalize and prevent acts of torture, custodial death and custodial rape committed against persons held in custody by public officials, and provide redress to the victims of such acts,” the statement adds.
The National Assembly passed this bill on August 1.
Four other bills; National Highways Safety (Amendment) Bill 2022, Iqbal Academy Pakistan Bill 2022, Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2022 and Pakistan Tobacco Board (Amendment) Bill 2022 were moved in Senate and referred to relevant standing committees.
Meanwhile, journalists staged a walkout from the Senate’s press gallery against the closure of ARY News transmission by the government. On the directions of the chairman Senate, Irfan Siddiqui from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) met the protesting journalists and assured them that the matter would be resolved, following which, they ended the protest.
Sanjrani referred the matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting. Faisal Javed Khan, the committee’s Chairman, informed the house that the committee’s meeting was scheduled on August 25 to take up the issue of the closure of ARY News transmission. Senators including Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman and Manzoor Kakar supported the resumption of ARY News transmission.
Azam Swati from PTI demanded that “corrupt government officials be beheaded.”
He lambasted the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Capital Development Authority (CDA), accusing them of mega corruption. “Both these departments are corrupt to the core. We could not take them on when we were in power. This government has the time, they should do it,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique denied in the Senate that any proposal was under consideration to sell out the assets of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
The government is trying to operationalise300 rooms of Roosevelt Hotel in New York, this year, he said.
New aircraft are being inducted in PIA fleet to improve its performance, the minister said.
Awan, the State Law Minister, informed the house that federal government initiated action against 117 illegal housing societies and their cases were pending in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The house was adjourned till Friday (Aug 19).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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