The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought assistance from the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) on February 13 in a petition seeking amendment in existing laws to introduce harsh punishments for the convicts of rape and murder of minors including public hanging. The petitioner Javed Iqbal Jafree advocate pleaded in his petition that increasing incidents of child sexual abuse have been causing a great of sense of fear due to non-availability of harsh punishment for the perpetrators.
He said the punishment for the rapists and killers must be harsh enough to create deterrence in the society. The lawyer said the existing criminal laws do not carry sentence of public hangings which has become a dire need of the time to curb sexual abuse of children. He therefore prayed the court to direct the federal government to introduce amendment in the laws for "public hanging" for those convicted in cases of raping and killings minors.