KP CM Mahmood Khan favours tough laws to punish rapists

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has said he would order the public hanging of those raping and killing children and that would send a strong message to the criminals and serve as a deterrent for other offenders, but knowing that the law must take its due course, he is unable to do so. The chief minister was talking to The News recently.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had proposed chemical castration of the rapists after the horrific Motorway incident in which a woman was raped in front of her children in Punjab and following other cases of children getting raped and killed. Some of his ministers also wanted public execution of such offenders, but they too realized that this step would have repercussions internationally and bring Pakistan under needless spotlight.

Acknowledging that a number of incidents of rape and killing of children has been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent months, the chief minister said he had tasked the chief secretary and the inspector general of police to come up with a plan for undertaking measures to tackle crimes against children.

“We need to protect our children and carry out legislation to toughen the punishment to rapists and other criminals,” he argued. Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said some of these crimes against children happened because of blood-feuds and enmities. He pointed out that the brutality of the criminals reflected the frustration prevailing in the society.

“We have to be alert as this frustration is causing an increase in the crime graph. The rapists must be awarded punishment keeping in view the scope of the crime and get them convicted quickly,” he added.