Kasur child porn scandal: Parliament passes resolutions demanding ‘harsh punishment’ for perpetrators

Lower House unanimously passes resolution on Kasur incident but not before NA Speaker denied adjournment motions on...

ISLAMABAD: Days after the news of Kasur child paedophile ring came to light, the Upper House of Parliament on Monday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the sickening act and demanded ‘harsh punishment’ for the perpetrators, Radio Pakistan reported.

The resolution, moved by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Nasreen Jalil, was adopted unanimously after Leader of the House Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq pointed out that the provincial government has already announced a probe into the incident through a judicial commission.

Read: Kasur child pornography ring: Lawyer accuses police of protecting culprits

“The perpetrators of the heinous crime should be handed harsh punishment,” the resolution read.

It urged the government to ensure that justice is served and the accused are taken to task.

Motions moved by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sassi Palejo, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senators Azam Khan Swati and Mohsin Aziz on the same issue were clubbed with the one presented by the MQM senator.

Furthermore, the house reaffirmed its commitment to stand by with the victims, who it said are the future of the country.

At least seven accused have been arrested after around 280 children in remote villages in Kasur district were targeted in a criminal operation that began in 2006.

Read: Kasur child porn case: Amid nationwide outrage, PM vows to punish culprits

A gang of 20 to 25 men had recorded as many as 400 videos of sexual abuse involving at least 280 children belonging to Hussain Khan Wala village.

After uproar, NA unanimously passes resolution

There was drama in the National Assembly on Monday evening when Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq first refused to entertain adjournment motions by opposition parties’ on the Kasur incident, before a resolution tabled by the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination was unanimously passed.

Opposition parties including the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had moved adjournment resolutions to discuss the incident, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) moved a ‘calling attention notice.’

But the treasury benches opposed the move. Speaker Sadiq too held that the matter was a provincial subject, not a national issue, hence he would only allow a debate on a point of order.

Almost all opposition parties opposed Speaker’s stance, countering that the matter was an issue of human rights and staged a token protest.

Aftab Ahmad Sherpao said that this incident had jolted the entire Pakistani society and can be debated on the highest of public forums.

PTI’s Shah Mahmood Quraishi argued that the issue is merited to debate in National Assembly. PPP’s Nafisa Shah said that executive has to come forward.

Later, Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination tabled a resolution condemning the Kasur incident.

“This house is greatly distressed and concerned to note the reports of sexual abuse of numerous children in Hussain Khanwala village of district Kasur. It vehemently condemns these horrendous incidents in the strongest possible terms and expresses its deepest sympathy and solidarity with the victims and their families.

The house calls upon the provincial government to ensure that all the culprits and their accomplices are apprehended immediately and investigation completed on priority basis so that the guilty persons can be awarded exemplary punishment for their heinous crimes.

The house reiterates its commitment to support enforcement of laws relating to protection of rights of the child and resolves to enact appropriate additional legislation in this regard at earliest.”

K-P Assembly adopts resolution

Meanwhile, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly also unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the Kasur indent in strongest words, demanding those sitting at the helm of affairs to arrest all those responsible and bring them to justice.

Read: National humiliation: PTI to raise Kasur child porn scandal in NA

The resolution was tabled by Nighat Orakzai of the PPP followed by a debate on the country’s biggest child porn scandal and condemnation of the same.

Resolution against CDA’s strategy

Earlier, the Senate also adopted a resolution moved by Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP)’s Sardar Muhammad Azam Khan Musakhel and Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar describing strategy of the CDA to vacate the Katchi Abadi in Sector I-11 of Islamabad as inappropriate.

Read: Lawmakers condemn govt's 'bulldozer approach' against Islamabad slums

It demanded the government to make appropriate strategy to evacuate the Katchi Abadi inhabitants and to facilitate them in their rehabilitation.