Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Bill, 2019 with a majority vote, days after the Senate had passed the bill after making certain amendments. Having received approval from both Houses of Parliament, the bill now requires the president’s assent before becoming law.
The bill was first tabled by Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari in June last year after multiple cases of horrific crimes against children emerged, mainly from Kasur. The incident had sparked outrage in the country and raised questions over the security of children and responsibilities on the part of the authorities concerned to prevent increasing incidents of child abuse in Pakistan. The bill, which was first passed by the National Assembly in January this year, was approved by the Upper House last week with some amendments including expanding the ambit of the bill to the entire country, which was earlier limited to Islamabad.
On Wednesday, the amended bill was tabled in the Lower House by Mazari, and was passed by an overwhelming majority through a voice vote. However, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Mualana Abdul Akbar Chitrali opposed the bill claiming that members were not provided sufficient time to submit amendments. This prompted Mazari to say his party had made no contribution towards the passage of the bill. “He did not suggest any amendment at any stage, but he is voicing his opposition when the process is about to be completed,” she said.
Chitrali kept voicing his opposition, shouting “No”, when the NA speaker first put up the bill for a clause by clause vote and then as a whole. Later, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan told Chitrali he could still move amendments if he wanted to even after the bill had been passed. Under Section 364-A of the PPC, a person who abducts a child under the age of 14 “in order that such [child] may be murdered or subjected to grievous hurt, or slavery, or to the lust of any person […] shall be punished with death or with imprisonment for life or with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years and shall not be less than seven years”. A helpline will also be set up to report missing children while the government will establish the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Agency to issue an alert for a missing child.
