Parliament of Pakistan: Pakistan’s lower house, the National Assembly, has re-passed a bill to declare forced disappearance a felony. Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar had agreed to withdraw the controversial Section 514 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
After which the bill was passed on Friday (21 October). There is a rule in this bill to punish those who file false complaints. According to the ‘Dawn’ newsletter, many MPs had opposed Section 514.
5 years imprisonment for false complaint
The bill in its present form was refused a vote. After which the section was removed. Most of those protesting were MPs from parties involved in the ruling coalition. The section provided for punishment of five years imprisonment and fine up to one lakh rupees to anyone giving false complaint or information about missing person.
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Earlier also the bill was approved
Pakistan’s lower house, the National Assembly, approved the bill in November last year. However, the government had to introduce it again in the assembly as the Senate, the upper house, passed the bill on Thursday (October 20) with some amendments.
For the bill to become an act, the Senate will have to pass it again. Cases of forced disappearances have been reported in Pakistan’s Balochistan, Karachi and tribal areas for years. Security forces are fighting against terrorists and insurgents in these areas.
bullying human rights activists
According to the UN, human rights activists are intimidated in Pakistan. They are kept secretly in custody. For which the UN has also strongly condemned the torture and forced disappearance.
He says that this is an attempt to suppress the voice of human rights activists globally. The Government of Pakistan is directly involved in this.
Long history of forced disappearances
Forced disappearances have long been reported in Pakistan, often targeting human rights critics of the government and the military, those fighting for the rights of minorities, and activists allegedly close to opposition parties.
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