Five bills introduced the same day were passed following the suspension of the Rules of Procedure. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The Punjab Assembly passed 11 bills on Friday including amendments to the Child Marriage Act, the Muslim Family Laws as well as laws on prohibition on wall chalking and hate speech, amidst a walkout by the opposition.
Five bills introduced the same day were passed following the suspension of the Rules of Procedure.
The bills were the Punjab Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill of 2015, the Punjab Partition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill of 2015, the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill of 2015, the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill of 2015 and the Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill of 2015.
Opposition member Aamir Sultan Cheema’s objection to the bypassing of standing committees was dismissed by Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani after Law Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman said the laws concerned important issues like women’s welfare and land rights and should be passed expeditiously. Cheema then led an opposition walkout.
Once the rules are suspended, the Speaker is no longer required to refer a bill to the appropriate standing committee and there is no requirement of minimum time spent on deliberating the bill.
The other six bills were passed on the recommendation of the respective standing committees. These were the Punjab Security of Vulnerable Establishments Bill of 2015, the Punjab Arms (Amendment) Bill of 2015, the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill of 2015, the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service (Amendment) Bill of 2015, the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Bill of 2015 and the Punjab Prohibition of Expressing Matters on Walls (Amendment) Bill of 2015.
Protecting rights of women and children
The amendments made to the Punjab Muslim Family Laws (amendment) Act 2015 make it mandatory for nikah registrars to fill all entries in the nikahnama (marriage deed). Violators could face imprisonment up to a month and a Rs25, 000 fine. The nikah registrars must have to a licence from their respective union councils to solemnise a marriage. The penalty for failure to register a marriage is to be revised from a fine of Rs1,000 to a fine of up to Rs100,000. Violators also face a prison term of up to a month. A man contracting a second marriage in violation of the law can face a fine of up to Rs500, 000.
The penalty for contracting marriage with a child has been set at a prison term of up to six months and a Rs50,000 fine. It had been a prison term of up to a month and a Rs1,000 fine. The nikah registrar and the guardian of the minor involved will also face similar penalties.
The failure to pay maintenance to a woman or a child will lead to enhancement of the payment. New powers granted to the court include imposition of penalties on those named as witnesses on their failure to appear before a court to facilitate the trail. The court can now allow immediate dissolution of a marriage if the parties fail to come to reconciliation.
A 15-day deadline has been set for both parties to appear before the court. Audio and video recording of statements in family disputes will be mandatory.
Land rights laws
Joint owners of an immovable property can now appoint a referee to facilitate division of the property amongst the claimants. People involved in land disputes may now be summoned by revenue officers using electronic means to expedite resolution of disputes.
Other laws:
The fine for wall chalking is being raised from Rs5,000 to between Rs25,000 and Rs100,000.
Speech supporting, promoting or glorifying any terrorist, an act of terrorism or a terrorist organization is to be prohibited.
Those guilty of the offence might face a prison term extending up to 3 years and a fine between Rs50,000 and Rs200,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 7th, 2015.
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