Reform of colonial laws stressed

LAHORE:

A meeting of the Committee on Legal Reforms and Subordinate Legislation was held at the Punjab Assembly Secretariat under the chairmanship of Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, where participants reviewed recent legal reforms and discussed key issues related to outdated laws and police accountability.

The committee conducted a detailed review of amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 1997 and deliberated on recommendations aimed at improving regulatory frameworks, ensuring effective implementation and strengthening parliamentary oversight.

Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan directed that all relevant departments and institutions be formally and promptly informed about the new parliamentary reforms to ensure their smooth execution.

The committee also reviewed Section 55 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, and expressed serious concern over its colonial origins. Members observed that the provision, which allows action against individuals lacking visible means of subsistence, effectively criminalises poverty and unemployment—an approach deemed inconsistent with modern constitutional and democratic values.

It called for immediate amendments to Section 55 and urged a broader review of similar laws.