The National Assembly Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control on Tuesday passed Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014 which proposed death penalty for people involved in rape cases instead of one-year imprisonment. The committee met with Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan in the chair and passed the bill (amendment of section 55, act XLV of 1860) moved by MNA Shaista Perveiz Malik.
The bill proposed life imprisonment or death penalty for the criminals involved in rape cases. It also proposed two years imprisonment for people who disclose the identity of rape victims as well as six months to two years imprisonment for police officers if found in delaying tactics in investigation of child abuse cases. According to bill, the convict will bear the expenses of the treatment of rape victims otherwise he will be imposed Rs 25,000 fine. The committee passed the bill and directed the Ministry of Interior to include the suggestion given by committee members.
Shaista Perveiz Malik, mover of the bill, while briefing the committee about the bill said that rape was a physical and psychological attack on a woman's dignity, body, her mental wellbeing, integrity and privacy and affected her ability to function in the society.
She said that rape was an attack on critical public values, which undermined the social and moral fabric of a community and therefore mandated the mobilisation of state protective and condemnatory forces. She said "the present law makes no provision for the social sufferings and ostracism that rape victim may be subject to magnified through wide publication regarding commission of the offence against the woman."
"It is the obligation of the state to guard the crime, to prevent abuse of the process of law, to protect the vulnerable from exploitation and ensure life and dignity of women," she said. Malik said the proposed amendments adhere to principles of Islam, the mandate of the constitution of Pakistan, international human rights and essential to meet the challenges in investigation and prosecution of rape cases.
The committee also took up Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2015 and the members of the committee opposed giving power to provinces to keep the suspect for 90 days under the custody. Officials of the Ministry of Interior while briefing the committee about the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2015 said the whole nation was suffering from the trauma of the brutal terrorist attack, sectarianism and extremists had gripped the whole country and those acts had become the order of the day.
The country is passing through an extraordinary situation which requires stringent measures to be taken to curb this menace which has infiltrated into our society. The main objective of the bill is to provide protection for people of Pakistan and prevention of acts threatening the security Pakistan. After detailed discussion, the committee partially endorsed the amendments proposed in the said bill with minor changes. The committee directed the Ministry of Interior to bring it back before the committee in its next meeting for final approval.
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