Senate panel approves Anti-Rape (Amendment) Bill

ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Committee on Interior approved Anti-Rape (Investigation and Prosecution) (Amendment) Bill, 2022, paving the way for restriction of movement of persons involved in sex crimes from one city to another city.

Though Minister of State for Law and Justice Shahadat Awan opposed the move for want of consultation with the provinces before approval, the committee approved the bill with a majority vote.

The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Prosecution) (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was moved by Senator Mohsin Aziz, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior. The committee also vetted the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 (Addition of new Sections 52B, 512, 513 and 514 to PPC and Amendments to Schedule II of CrPC), which was sent to the Senate after approval from the National Assembly.

The bill aims to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime of enforced disappearances to justice in a bid to provide some relief to the families of the missing persons. The interior secretary requested the committee to postpone the proceedings with regard to the bill and a meeting under the chair of the law minister will be held soon to deliberate on the proposed bill.

Chairman Senate’s Committee on Interior Senator Moshin Aziz deferred the discussion on the bill for one month on the recommendations of the committee members. The Islamabad Capital Territory Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2022 presented by Senator Fawzia Arshad was considered in the committee meeting and the committee unanimously approved the bill after due deliberations.

The bill aims to determine and punish the persons responsible for delay in completion of housing projects in different sectors of the federal capital. The CDA officials and the chief commissioner Islamabad requested to amend several clauses of the bill. The committee members approved the bill after the necessary amendments.

Senator Moshin Aziz said that new projects and schemes should not be approved until the completion of the ongoing projects. The meeting of Senate’s Committee on Interior was attended by Senators Maula Bux Chandio, Saifullah Abro, Shahadat Awan, Fawzia Arshad, Kamil Ali Agha, Dilawar Khan, Fida Muhammad, the chief commissioner Islamabad, CDA and officials from Ministry of Interior.