Bill seeks death sentence for sexually abusing minors
232 viewsBy jazbablog - Tue Nov 22, 10:34 pm
ISLAMABAD: Bill amending Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 (Act XLV of 1860) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP), 1898 was presented on Tuesday in the National Assembly by Justice (Retd) Fakhar-un-Nisa Khokar.
The bill introduces insertion of new sections in Act XLV of 1860 providing death punishment for whoever molests or sexually abuse a child under the age of minority.
In the Pakistan Panel Code after section 377 new sections of 377A and 377B were inserted in the Act.
377A deals with child molestation and read as ‘whoever molests a child under the age of minority deceitfully, coercively or by providing inducement and commits unnatural or carnal intercourse against the order of nature, as the case may be, shall be punished with death or not less than rupees five hindered thousand which shall be paid to the victim’.
While 377B deals with brokering, bargaining or dealing in relation to offences under section 377A. 377B states as whoever brokers, bargains or deals in directly or indirectly to such matters relating to facilitation by any means or by providing room or makes arrangements for commission of an offence as contained in section 377A shall be punished with imprisonment which shall not be less than ten years and a fine not be less than rupees ten hundred thousand.
The bill also introduced amendment of schedule II of CCP saying that child molestation would be not a bailable and not compoundable offence. Similarly, brokering, bargaining or dealing in relations to the offence would too be not bailable and in both cases court of session was empowered for deciding punishment.
It is pertinent to mention that the bill would be send to the concerned standing committee for recommendations and then if approved send back to the parliament for final approval.
Meanwhile, the standing committee on foreign affairs’ report on the bill to provide for preservation, protection and assertion of sovereignty of Pakistan, The Sovereign Pakistan Bill 2010, was also presented in session of the National Assembly.
According to the report the committee in its meeting held on 21st January, 2011 considered the bill in details. “Majority of the committee members didn’t approve the said bill and recommended that the same may not be processed with by National Assembly for legislation,” the report said.
