Senate approves bill to end death penalty for key offences

Senate approves bill to end death penalty for key offences
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The Senate of Pakistan passed four bills, including the Criminal Laws Amendment Bill, which abolishes the death penalty for harbouring hijackers and publicly stripping a woman, Dawn E-Paper reported. The bill replaces the death penalty under Sections 354-A and 402-C of the Pakistan Penal Code with life imprisonment, aligning laws with the EU’s GSP+ trade agreement that limits capital punishment to the most serious crimes. Section 354-A currently mandates death or life imprisonment for publicly stripping a woman.

The bill faced opposition from senators including PTI’s Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, who argued that the crime is as serious as murder and should retain the death penalty. BAP’s Samina Mumtaz Zehri called for stricter laws against crimes on women and highlighted low conviction rates due to weak prosecution. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar defended the amendment, citing low crime rates in European countries without the death penalty and noting the death penalty for this crime was introduced in 1982.

The Senate also passed amendments to expedite extradition and allow Pakistani diaspora to resume citizenship.