Senate axes death penalty in select offences
The Senate on Friday passed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2025, eliminating the death penalty for public assault of women, including disrobing, and for harbouring a hijacker, and replacing it with a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
The House, which met with Deputy Chairman Syedal Khan Nasir in the chair, also passed two other bills seeking amendments to the Extradition Act, 1972, and the Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951.
All three bills were tabled by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposes changes to Sections 354-A and 402-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). However, opposition Senators Ali Zafar and Samina Mumtaz Zehri opposed the bill.
In response, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the House that the severity of punishment did not necessarily deter crime. "Giving the death penalty does not reduce crimes," he said. "We have a very high crime rate, so we have to fix our system," he added.
He referred to an incident during the regime of former military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq, in which village elders had torn the clothes off a woman. "This law was then passed by the martial law administrator," he recalled, adding that life imprisonment remained a very serious punishment.
"I request that we should end the terrible gift of the martial law era," the law minister told the House. He suggested that apart from the four punishments of death given in Sharia under Hudood laws, there should be no other capital punishment.
Regarding the Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Tarar said the extradition law was bilateral. In Pakistan, the extradition process involves five stages, beginning with cabinet approval. "And after an inquiry, the federal government finally approves the extradition," he said.
He explained that the bill abolished the requirement of cabinet approval at the initial stage. "The cases are processed under the Extradition Act, 1972, and have to be forwarded to the Federal Cabinet twice, which takes considerable time due to the busy schedule of cabinet business," he noted.
The statement of objectives of the Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill highlighted that a large number of overseas Pakistanis were forced to renounce their citizenship to acquire the nationality of a foreign country for residence or legal stay.
However, when such countries later entered into dual nationality arrangements with Pakistan, there was no provision in the Citizenship Act allowing them to resume Pakistani citizenship. The amendment now provides the legal cover to allow the diaspora to reclaim their citizenship.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar introduced the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2025, as reported by the relevant standing committee.
The statement of objectives of the bill said the act had been amended to provide a comprehensive framework for the board to organise, regulate, conduct and oversee intermediate and secondary education in line with international best practices.
The proposed amendments aim to facilitate swift and flexible decision-making while enabling the board to establish international collaborations. The board's composition has also been revised to adopt a more inclusive structure.
Speaking on the bill, Tarar said steps had been taken to reduce the workload on the federal government, with several responsibilities delegated from the federal cabinet. He added that provincial representation had also been ensured in the restructured board.
During the proceedings, Senator Humayun Mohmand informed the House that private recruiting agencies had sent Pakistani girls to Serbia, where they were allegedly forced into prostitution. He demanded that the matter be referred to the relevant committee.
Minister of State for Law Barrister Aqeel Malik responded by stating that the Pakistani mission had no role in sending girls to Serbia. He revealed that 38 individuals from Pakistan had gone there for jobs in fruit and vegetable farms. The matter was later referred to the relevant committee by the chair.
Separately, Senator Abdul Shakoor drew the House's attention to "looting by private medical colleges".
Barrister Malik also tabled the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority Ordinance, 2025. The session was later adjourned until Monday.
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