Senate passes four bills amidst opposition protest

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Thursday passed four key bills, including one criminalising torture of under custody accused. This happened as the PTI members carried out a noisy protest against the arrest and alleged torture of their colleague Senator Muhammad Azam Swati.

The sitting was again adjourned for Friday morning after legislative business but it did not take up the Question-Hour, as the protesting PTI senators wanted to first speak on the events relating to Swati.

However, the chair focused on disposing of certain agenda items instead. The opposition lawmakers who were not given the opportunity to speak after the recitation from Holy Quran, gathered near the chair’s dais and resorted to slogan chanting against the government and demanded the release of Azam Swati and issuance of his production order. They also tore up agenda copies.

The bill to provide protection to a person during custody from all acts of torture perpetrated by public officials The Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Bill, 2022 has already been passed by the National Assembly. It is believed to entail the overdue process of reforms to ensure transparent investigations into charges of torture, holding accountable those involved in it. It is pertinent that the Senate had passed a similar private members bill, moved by the-then PPP parliamentary leader in Senator Sherry Rehman, which could not be passed from the National Assembly in a specified period and it had lapsed.

The bill, which after the President’s assent will become an act of the parliament, says any public official who commits or abets or conspires to commit torture shall be punished with the same punishment as prescribed for the type of harm provided in Chapter XVI of the PPC.

The offence shall be cognizable, non-compoundable and non-bailable. The bill also prescribes punishment for custodial rapes.

Amidst continued protest of the opposition, the Senate also passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, seeking further to amend the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, the Anti-Dumping Duties Bill and the Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Bill, brought through supplementary agenda.

As per the draft law of the Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Bill, the federal government will constitute a Cabinet Committee on Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions to negotiate and enter into an inter-governmental agreement to allow state-owned enterprises of both countries to carry out a commercial venture either in Pakistan or in a foreign country. The transactions would be out of the ambit of any court of law or an investigation agency to initiate an investigation for any procedural lapse or irregularity by any person in a commercial transaction or agreement under this Act without evidence of personal monetary gain.