After a series of gang-rape incidents across India the Indian President has approved the ordinance on sexual assault, which has the provision of death penalty for the culprits.
The ordinance sought to treat such case as crimes belonging to the ‘rarest-of-rare’ category for which courts can award death punishment if they so decide.
Human rights activists in almost all countries plead death for rapists and most of the countries, like India, have already included capital punishment in their criminal procedural laws. Of late there had been critical debate in the western media questioning the death penalty to a rapist in Islam, calling it cruel and against human rights, but given the intensity of the crime; the same human rightists have now come to similar conclusion that even one count of capital punishment is not enough.
Unfortunately for the last five years there have been no executions, despite courts awarded death. Hundreds of criminals have not been hanged including those involved in acts of terrorism, except for Ajmal Qasab who was alleged to be a Pakistani in India. There has been a campaign by the world HR bodies for abolition of death penalty, in sharp contrast to a rising demand that the Pakistan Parliament and subsequently the President of Pakistan should approve a law, emulating the Indian amendment in their penal laws so that the women as well as their honour and dignity are protected.
MARYA MUFTY,
Lahore, February 4.