Capital punishment: Acid bill tabled in NA calls for death penalty
Provides guidelines for investigation of attacks, witness protection.
ISLAMABAD:
A group of nine MPs from the ruling coalition on Tuesday proposed the death penalty for those found guilty of carrying out acid and burn attacks.
Moved by Dr Attiya Inayatullah, the 35-clause bill provides guidelines for investigation, protection of witnesses, establishment of the acid and burn crime monitoring board and its responsibilities.
The bill stipulates that investigation of acid and burn crimes be completed within 14 days of an FIR being filed and that a trial be conducted within seven days.
In case the investigating officer is found negligent, the bill suggests a punishment of two years, a fine, or both.
The bill reads: “(1) Whoever commits or attempts to commit an offence of acid or burn attack shall: (i) if such act has resulted in the death of any person be punished with death or imprisonment for life; and; (ii) whoever intentionally causes hurt by acid and burn attack shall be punished with death or rigorous imprisonment for life,” reads section 6 of The Acid Throwing and Burn Crime Bill, 2012.
It was jointly introduced by four members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), three members from Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and one member of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Khushbakht Shujaat.
The bill calling for the death penalty comes on the heels of the recent hanging of a convict in Mianwali jail on November 15, following four years of a de facto moratorium on the death penalty in the country.
On a point of order raised by PPP’s Palwasha Khan, the house observed a minute’s silence for 70-year-old Swedish social worker, Briggette Alemby, who was shot dead in Lahore earlier this month.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2012.
A group of nine MPs from the ruling coalition on Tuesday proposed the death penalty for those found guilty of carrying out acid and burn attacks.
Moved by Dr Attiya Inayatullah, the 35-clause bill provides guidelines for investigation, protection of witnesses, establishment of the acid and burn crime monitoring board and its responsibilities.
The bill stipulates that investigation of acid and burn crimes be completed within 14 days of an FIR being filed and that a trial be conducted within seven days.
In case the investigating officer is found negligent, the bill suggests a punishment of two years, a fine, or both.
The bill reads: “(1) Whoever commits or attempts to commit an offence of acid or burn attack shall: (i) if such act has resulted in the death of any person be punished with death or imprisonment for life; and; (ii) whoever intentionally causes hurt by acid and burn attack shall be punished with death or rigorous imprisonment for life,” reads section 6 of The Acid Throwing and Burn Crime Bill, 2012.
It was jointly introduced by four members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), three members from Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and one member of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Khushbakht Shujaat.
The bill calling for the death penalty comes on the heels of the recent hanging of a convict in Mianwali jail on November 15, following four years of a de facto moratorium on the death penalty in the country.
On a point of order raised by PPP’s Palwasha Khan, the house observed a minute’s silence for 70-year-old Swedish social worker, Briggette Alemby, who was shot dead in Lahore earlier this month.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2012.