ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the federal government to amend the relevant laws for enhancement of the sentence of convicts who commit offence of child pornography.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued the directions while upholding the sentence of a convict Shehzad Khaliq who was given 14 years in jail and ordered to pay a fine of Rs1 million by an additional sessions judge of Islamabad. Khaliq had filed an appeal against his sentence from a lower court. However, the IHC bench dismissed his plea and issued guidelines for sentence and trial of child pornography case as per international standards.

In his 24-page judgment, Justice Kayani stated that before parting with this judgment, this court is of the view that Pakistan being signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child has to apply its optional protocol in letter and spirit while dealing with the sensitive offences, even the courts of law are also required to follow certain standards, which have not yet been highlighted in any of the legislative documents.

The judgment stated, “The federal government shall, at the first instance, amend Section 22 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 for enhancement of the sentence from seven years to the standards already held and fixed in the amended Act (XXVII of 2018), dated 22.05.2018, in which punishment under Section 292-C PPC for child pornography has been enhanced from seven years to fourteen years, extended up to 20 years, with fine not less than one million rupees, as awarded to the appellant in this case, such aspect will harmonize the sentences in two separate laws, though mentioned for somehow similar offences.”