ISLAMABAD - The Senate on Monday passed a law aimed at increasing punishment of up to life imprisonment but not less than 10 years for those disrespecting Ummahatul Momineen, Ahl-e-Bait, Khulfa-e-Rashideen and Sahaba-e-Kiram.
The house passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill that seeks to amend the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1898.
PML-N Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) lawmaker Mushtaq Ahmed moved the bill on a private members day. The National Assembly has already passed the bill, which was moved by JI MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali.
Explaining the amendment in the bill, Senator Ahmed said that fine and sentence had been increased to ensure no one dared1898. PML-N Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) lawmaker Mushtaq Ahmed moved the bill on a private members day. The National Assembly has already passed the bill, which was moved by JI MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali. Explaining the amendment in the bill, Senator Ahmed said that fine and sentence had been increased to ensure no one dared to pass any derogatory remarks and defame companions, family and wives of Last Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
He said that under PPC, the punishment was for three years but it has been increased now and accordingly, an amendment is proposed in CrPC. The statement of objectives and reasons of the bill says that disrespecting the companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and other sacred personalities not only promoted terrorism and disruption in the country but also hurt people from all walks of life.
The bill says that in Section 298-A of the PPC, the punishment against the person who disrespected the wives, family and companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was imprisonment for a minimum of three years along with a nominal penalty while this is a bailable crime. The bill enhances the minimum punishment for those who insult the sacred personalities from three to life imprisonment, which shall not be less than 10 years.
Some members from treasury including Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, wanted the bill to be referred to the standing committee concerned. Senator Rehman said that they had not yet gone through the bill and it should be referred to as there was consensus in the house that legislation should not be done in haste. Some senators with religious backgrounds including Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Hafiz Abdul Karim and Professor Sajid Mir hoped the bill would help sectarian harmony in the country.
On a private members day, the house referred over a dozen bills regarding the creation of new universities and institutes, already passed by the National Assembly, to the house committees concerned.
PTI Senator Mehr Taj Roghani objected to the introduction of a large number of bills for the establishment of private universities at a time when three days have left in the expiry of the term of the present government. “This bombardment of universities would ruin the education system in the country,” she said.
National Party Senator Tahir Bizenjo said one wondered why members of the National Assembly were interested that the bills of private universities sailed through the house.
As the house lacked the required two-third majority to pass a constitutional amendment bill, the chair referred back two bills, one on creation of Hazara province and the other on creation of South Punjab province, to the standing committee concerned.
The house unanimously adopted a resolution, moved by JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza to condemn illegal August 5 actions of India taken in Indian Occupied Kashmir. The resolution labelled the 5th August 2019, as a “Black Day.”
The resolution said that the BJP-led government abrogated Articles 35-A and 370 of India’s Constitution by taking away the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two Union territories.
“The House rejects India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 which are in direct violation of UNSC Resolutions and are aimed at … suppressing the realization of the inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiris as well as violating their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights,” reads the resolution.
The house through the resolution called upon the international community to support the freedom struggle of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir both morally, legally, and materially as the international community supported Ukraine morally and materially in the current Russian Ukraine war.
The house recommended that the government should expedite its diplomatic efforts to continuously highlight the Kashmir issue at the UN Human Rights Council, including through periodical brief and joint letters to the President.