ISLAMABAD: To the widespread clamour for public execution of an accused charged with sexual assaults on minors, Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Rehman Malik on Wednesday proposed an amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to ‘publicly hang’ convicts found guilty of kidnapping, murdering or raping children under 14 years of age.
The proposed bill – the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2018 – seeks to amend Section 364-A of the PPC.
A call for amendments in the PPC came on the heels of the prime suspect’s arrest in Zainab murder case, announced in a recently held press conference by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The CM Punjab then called for his public hanging as punishment.
Similar calls have been echoing in social media by people from all social strata as punishment to child rapists, abductors and murderers.
The Section 364-A of the PPC reads: “Whoever kidnaps or abducts any person under the age of fourteen in order that such person may be murdered or subjected to grievous hurt, or slavery, or to the lust of any person or may be so disposed of as to be put in danger of being murdered or subjected to grievous hurt, or slavery, or to the lust of any person shall be punished with death or with imprisonment for life or with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years and shall not be less than seven years.”
The proposed bill seeks to add the words “by hanging publicly” at the end after the word punishment rather than with death or imprisonment for life.
A session has been called today (Thursday) as Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani has sought a report from the Committee of Law and Justice over amendments recommended by the Committee of Interior.
Earlier on Tuesday, Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif congratulated cabinet committee, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, IGP Punjab and other officials for arresting the prime accused – Imran Arshad – in Zainab murder case with a big round of applause.
In a video obtained by ARY News, the accused claimed that he lured the seven-year-old rape-slay victim to come with him by saying that they will be meeting her parents.
Imran Arshad, who was the victim’s neighbour, was arrested on January 23 after his DNA sample matched the sample obtained from the crime scene following which he confessed raping at least eight girls including Zainab Ansari.
