Senate panel passes bill proposing death penalty for acid attacks

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior has passed a bill proposing the death penalty for acid attacks along with several other criminal law amendments.

The meeting, chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman on Monday, also saw lawmakers approve bills concerning domestic workers, LPG safety, wrongful detention of dead bodies, anti-rape legislation and consumer protection.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, moved by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir, seeks to amend Section 336B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which deals with hurt caused by corrosive substances. The committee passed the bill in the absence of the mover.

The proposed amendment recommends “death or imprisonment for life or imprisonment of not less than 14 years and a fine of Rs2 million” for acid attacks.

The bill refers to a recent acid attack on a female doctor in Quetta, stating that attacks involving corrosive substances continue to leave victims with permanent disfigurement and trauma despite a 2011 amendment to the law.

The committee passed the amendment despite opposition from State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, while PPP lawmakers also voted in favour.

Lawmakers also unanimously approved a bill moved by Senator Sarmad Ali to criminalise the abuse of domestic workers.

The proposed law covers physical violence, sexual harassment, threats, forced labour, wage theft, confiscation of identity documents, denial of food or medical care and humiliating treatment.

It proposes imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs100,000. If the abuse results in serious injury or death, the punishment will increase to life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs500,000.

The bill will also hold employers responsible if a household member abuses a domestic worker, unless the employer took reasonable steps to prevent the abuse. The proposed offence would be non-bailable and triable by a sessions court.

Another bill, moved by Senator Shahadat Awan, seeks to criminalise the unauthorised transfer of LPG from larger cylinders into smaller domestic cylinders.

The amendment proposes increasing the punishment under Section 286 of the PPC from six months to two years and raising the fine from Rs1,000 to Rs100,000. Under Section 286A, the proposed prison term would increase from two years to five years while the fine would rise from Rs10,000 to Rs500,000.

The bill states that unauthorised LPG decanting takes place in residential areas, workshops and roadside setups without proper safety measures, putting people and property at risk.

The committee also unanimously passed a bill moved by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri to criminalise the wrongful detention of dead bodies by hospitals and clinics.

The proposed Section 338CA will punish hospitals that withhold a dead body over unpaid medical bills with up to two years in prison and a fine of up to Rs500,000 for a first offence.

For a second offence or detention lasting more than 24 hours, the punishment will increase up to three years in prison and a fine of up to Rs1 million.

The bill provides exceptions where a body must be retained for an autopsy or police investigation. The offence would also be compoundable by the legal heirs.

The committee also approved the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) (Amendment) Bill moved by Senator Bushra Anjum Butt.

Lawmakers observed that legislation aimed at strengthening the legal framework against rape should receive government support.

The Islamabad Consumers Protection (Amendment) Bill, also moved by Zehri, was passed to bring private healthcare providers under the Islamabad Consumers Protection Act 1995.

The proposed changes target undisclosed charges, non-itemised bills and demands for advance payments before emergency treatment. Hospitals will also have to display their fee schedules and issue itemised bills.

The committee also raised concerns over reports that former parliamentarians were being asked to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Interior before receiving official passports.

Members were also informed that the validity period for such passports had been reduced from five years to one year. The state minister for Interior said that only the internal approval process had changed.

The committee chairman directed officials to ensure that the existing law was followed and official passports were issued with five-year validity. Further discussion on the matter was deferred.

The Ministry of Interior also briefed the committee on the use of social media by minors. Officials said that a high-powered committee was working on proposals to regulate children’s access to social media.