The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday approved several amendments to criminal laws, including legislation seeking the death penalty for acid attacks.
The meeting, chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, examined several private members’ bills concerning acid attacks, domestic workers’ rights, LPG safety, rape-related legislation and consumer protection.
The measures were approved despite reservations from State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, while PPP members supported the bills.
A Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, introduced by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir and seeking changes to Section 336B of the Pakistan Penal Code concerning injuries caused by corrosive substances, was approved in the senator’s absence. The proposed legislation calls for the death penalty, life imprisonment or imprisonment of at least 14 years along with a fine of up to Rs2 million for acid attacks.
The bill points to the continued occurrence of such attacks despite legal amendments introduced in 2011, noting that victims often suffer permanent physical disfigurement and psychological trauma. The recent acid attack on a female doctor in Quetta was also cited as an example.
The committee unanimously approved another Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill introduced by Senator Sarmad Ali, which seeks to criminalise abuse of domestic workers specifically. The proposed law covers acts including physical assault, sexual harassment, threats, forced labour, withholding wages, confiscation of identity documents, denial of food or medical treatment and degrading treatment.
A person found guilty could face imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs100,000. Where abuse results in serious injury or death, the proposed punishment is life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs500,000. The legislation also seeks to hold employers responsible for abuse committed by members of their household unless they can demonstrate that reasonable measures were taken to prevent it.
The offence would be non-bailable and tried by a sessions court under proposed amendments to Schedule II of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The committee also approved a bill moved by Senator Shahadat Awan to curb unauthorised LPG decanting. The proposed amendments to Sections 286 and 286A of the PPC seek to increase penalties for the illegal transfer of LPG from larger cylinders into smaller domestic cylinders.
Under Section 286, the proposed maximum prison term would rise from six months to two years, while the fine would increase from Rs1,000 to Rs100,000. For offences covered by Section 286A, imprisonment would be increased from two to five years and the fine from Rs10,000 to Rs500,000.
The bill argues that unauthorised LPG decanting is frequently carried out in residential neighbourhoods, workshops and roadside locations without adequate safety precautions, putting lives and property at risk.
Another Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, moved by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, was unanimously approved to criminalise the wrongful detention of a deceased person’s body.
The committee said withholding bodies over unpaid medical bills causes severe distress to bereaved families and interferes with the deceased’s right to a dignified burial.
The committee also cleared the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) (Amendment) Bill introduced by Senator Bushra Anjum Butt. Members stressed that measures intended to improve the legal framework for investigating and prosecuting rape cases should receive the necessary government backing.
