ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday passed a series of key criminal law amendments, including a bill proposing the death penalty for acid attacks, as it moved to strengthen protections for vulnerable groups and public safety.
Chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, the committee considered private members’ bills relating to acid crimes, protection of domestic workers, LPG safety, anti-rape legislation and consumer protection. Interestingly, the bills were passed despite opposition from Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, with PPP law-makers also voting in favour.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, moved by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir, seeks to amend Section 336-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) relating to hurt caused by corrosive substances. In an unusual move, the bill was passed in the absence of the mover.
Citing ‘the recent incident of an acid attack on a lady doctor in Quetta’, the bill states that despite the 2011 amendment, acid attacks continue to cause lifelong disfigurement and trauma. It proposes punishment of ‘death or imprisonment for life or imprisonment of notless thanfourteen years and a fine of two million rupees’ to serve as a strongdeterrent.The committee also unanimously passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill moved by Senator Sarmad Ali, proposing to criminalise the abuse of domestic workers. The statement notes that domestic workers are among society’s most vulnerable groups, often facing violence, abuse, forced labour and mistreatment.
It adds that ‘existing provisions... do not specifically address the abuse arising from dependency and control inherent in domestic work settings’.
The proposed section covers physical violence, sexual harassment, threats, forced labour, wage theft, confiscation of identity documents, denial of food or medical care, and humiliating treatment.
The proposed punishment is ‘imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and fine which may extend to one hundred thousand rupees’, while cases resulting in serious injury or death would carry ‘imprisonment for life and fine which may extend to five hundred thousand rupees’.
The bill also makes employers liable if the abuse is committed by household members, ‘unless the employer took reasonable steps to prevent such abuse’. The Second Schedule to the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has also been amended to make the offence non-bailable and triable by a Court of Session.
In a move to address public safety hazards, the committee passed theCriminal Laws (Amendment) Act, moved by Senator Shahadat Awan, to amend Sections 286 and 286-A of the PPC to criminalise the unauthorised transfer of LPG into smaller cylinders.
Noting that such decanting in residential areas and roadside setups poses severe risks, the bill increases the punishment under Section 286 from six months to two years and raises the fine from Rs1,000 to Rs100,000. For Section 286-A, imprisonment is proposed to be increased from two to five years, while the fine would rise from Rs10,000 to Rs500,000.
The Statement of Objects and Reasons notes that ‘the decanting of LPG from larger cylinders into smaller domestic cylinders without proper safety measures has become a widespread practice in many parts of Pakistan’.
The committee also unanimously passed theCriminal Laws (Amendment) Bill moved by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, inserting a new Section 338-CA to make ‘wrongful detention of a dead body’ a punishable offence.
The Statement of Objects and Reasons highlights that ‘there have been numerous reports of private hospitals and clinics detaining the dead bodies of patients until their families settle outstanding medical bills’.
It cites examples where hospitals ‘demand exorbitant advance deposits, sometimes as high as two to four million rupees’, and ‘withhold dead bodies even when outstanding dues are as low as one hundred thousand rupees’.
It adds that ‘the inviolability of human dignity does not cease upon death’.
The new section proposes punishment of up to two years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of Rs500,000for a first offence, and up to three years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of Rs1 million for a second offence or detention lasting beyond 24 hours.
Exceptions are provided for autopsies or police investigations.
The offence has been made compoundable by the legal heirs.
The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) (Amendment) Bill, moved by Bushra Anjum Butt, was also passed, with the committee observing that legislation aimed at strengthening the legal framework against rape should receive appropriate government support.
On the consumer side, the committee passed the Islamabad Consumers Protection (Amendment) Bill, also moved by Senator Zehri, to bring private healthcare providers under the 1995 Act.
The bill targets undisclosed fees, non-itemised billing and demands for advance deposits beforeemergency treatment. It also requires hospitals to publicly display fee schedules and provide itemised bills.
The committee expressed seriousconcernover reports that former parliamentarians were being required to obtain a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Interior for the issuance of official passports and that their validity had been reduced from five years to one year.
The minister of state for interior said only the internal approval procedure had been changed.
The chairman directed that official passports be issued with five-year validity as required by law, while further deliberation was deferred.
The interior ministry also briefed the committee on concerns over minors’ unregulated social media use, saying a high-powered committee was working on regulatory proposals.