Ijaz Kakakhel Islamabad
A legislative body of Upper House of parliament on Friday approved The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Prosecution) (Amendment) Bill, 2022 (insertion of new sections 24A, 24B and 24C), which aimed to monitor the movement of persons involved in sex crimes within the country.
The bill was approved in the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, which was held today at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Mohsin Aziz.
The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Prosecution) (Amendment) Bill, 2022 (insertion of new sections 24A, 24B and 24C) moved by Senator Mohsin Aziz was considered. The purpose of the bill is to monitor the movement of persons involved in sex crimes within the country so that such persons cannot go to another city in the country and commit such crimes again. Minister of State for Law, Senator Shahadat Awan, opposed the approval of the bill without consulting the provinces. The committee members approved the bill with a majority vote.
The Committee took a detailed look at the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 (Addition of new Sections 52B, 512, 513 and 514 to PPC and Amendments to Schedule II of CrPC). The purpose of this bill is to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime of enforced disappearances to justice so as to provide some relief to the families whose loved ones have gone missing. The Interior Secretary said that a meeting of the committee chaired by the Law Minister will be held soon on the proposed bill and consideration of the bill by the committee should be postponed. Law Ministry officials were of the view that the amendments proposed in the bill are already there in the existing law and there is no need for new legislation in this regard.
The chairman committee deferred the discussion on the bill for one month according to the opinion of the committee members.
The Islamabad Capital Territory Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2022 presented by Senator Fawzia Arshad was considered in the committee meeting. The committee members unanimously approved the bill after due deliberations.
