Zainab Alert Bill to be presented before Senate for approval on March 2

ISLAMABAD: Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights on Monday passed Zainab Alert Bill after necessary amendments, ARY News reported.

The meeting of the committee was chaired by its Chairman Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, here today in Islamabad. The bill was finalised in the last meeting of the rights committee of Pakistan’s Majlis-e-Shora.

The draft will be presented before the Senate on March 2 for the approval. The bill will be enforced countrywide.

According to the recent amendments, the police will be bound to register FIR of the missing child and action would be taken against the officers, denying to lodge the report.

The cases related to child rape cases will be heard by special judges.

Last month, the government and opposition had unanimously passed the Zainab Alert bill which will pave the way to penalise culprits in crimes against children from 10-14 years to life imprisonment.

A helpline 1099 will be established under the law besides the constitution of an agency to take immediate action after responding complaints about abduction, murder, and rape of minor children, read the bill, adding that the officer will also get penalised over failure to respond within two hours.