Senate standing committee on interior approved the important legislation proposed by senator Samina Mumtaz

ISLAMABAD (6 AM Report): The Senate Standing Committee on Interior approved the important legislation proposed by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri of Balochistan Awami Party. In the first proposal presented by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, it was said that private hospitals should provide free medico-legal aid to victims of rape to avoid criminal negligence in investigation and trial of rape victims.

Through Criminal Amendment Bill, 2023 (Insertion of new section 376-A), those medical professionals would be penalized who are found to commit criminal negligence in treating Rape Victims despite being a mandatory component of their official duty. Unfortunately, various cases have been reported in our country where victims of rape or sexual violence seeking emergency medical assistance following an attack, are either saddled with thousands of rupees in medical bills or blatantly refused from getting the required medical treatment, which meets the demands of justice.

Through second bill, the Senate Committee on Interior unanimously approved the joint bill “Criminal Amendment Bill 2023” by Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan and Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri against private prisons. The bill imposes 3 years imprisonment and 10 lakh rupees for the establishment of private prisons.  Penalty while the punishment of 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of 20 lakh rupees has been suggested for wrongfully imprisoning someone.

The recommendation said that Article 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the dignity and respect of a person, while the provision of the Constitution of Pakistan 11 prohibits slavery and forced labour. The recommendation also states that private prisons are grossly inhumane, illegal practices.  There are currently 71 private prisons reported in Balochistan and 5 thousand people have been released from private prisons in Sindh from 2020 to 2022. Private prisons are a form of false imprisonment set up by influential people, so ban these prisons. By another bill, the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, inserted new sections 52-B, 52-C and 52-D in Chapter II, Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860), of private imprisonment of innocent persons.  Inhumane practices and extermination of poor laborers, tenants and others with heavy fines have been proposed by influential people.