Senate passes bill:14-year jail for acid-throwers

Pakistan

Senate passes bill:14-year jail for acid-throwers

Close

Senate has passed bill promising strict punishment for perpetrators of heinous crimes.

12 December,2011 07:52 pm

Acid-throwers on women will get minimum 14 years in jail after the bill has been ratified by the President as a final step to it being an Act.Certain section of the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1908 have been amended under the new bill. Whoever victimises someone through the use of corrosive substance shall be punished with life imprisonment or imprisonment of either description which shall not be less than 14 years and a minimum fine of one million rupees.Senator Neelofar Bakhtiar moved the bill, highlighting the issue of acid throwing on women, where the women survivors of these incidents were also present in the gallery to hear the discussion on the said bill.The mover of the bill said that there were 53 cases of acid throwing on innocent women in 2009, while 65 in 2010 and 160 until November 2011 have been reported, which showed gradual increase in such incidents.She also requested the house to pass the bill without discussion as it was the matter of common interest. Following the request of the mover, all Senators present in the house not only appreciated the efforts of the Neelofar Bakhtiar, civil society organisations and victims of the acid-throwing incidents to present such bill in the house rather unanimously passed it without any discussion.Similarly, punishment would also be awarded on forced marriage with the Holy Quran and depriving women of their right of inheritance.