NA approves Zainab Alert Bill two years after uproar over Kasur killings

[HAIDER]

The National Assembly on Friday approved the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill, 2019, exactly two years after the body of nine-year-old Zainab Ansari, a rape-murder victim, was found in Kasur in 2018.

The bill was presented by Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari in June last year.

Zainab's rape and murder in 2018 had sparked outrage and protests across the country after she was found dead in a trash heap in Kasur on January 9.

Her case was the twelfth such incident to occur within a 10 kilometre radius in the city over a 12-month period.

The heinous nature of the crime had seen immediate riots break out in Kasur — in which two people were killed — while #JusticeforZainab became a rallying cry for an end to violence against children.

In August 2019, a parliamentary committee deferred the passage of Zainab Alert Bill with directions to the government to rationalise the "extreme" punishment proposed for sexual assault against children.

All members of the committee, except a few, had opposed rigorous imprisonment until death for sexual assault of children. Others had said that rigorous imprisonment with a death sentence was a fitting punishment for individuals sexually assaulting minor children.

Under the bill passed on Friday, the maximum sentence handed down to perpetrators of child sexual abuse will be life imprisonment with a fine of Rs1 million while the minimum sentence will be 10 years.

Further, a helpline will also be established to report missing children while an agency, for issuing an alert for missing children, will also be set up.

The bill also proposes taking action against police officials who cause unnecessary delay in investigating such cases, adding that those who fail to respond to the alert within two hours may also face action.

However, according to the bill, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the measures introduced only extend to the Islamabad Capital Territory.

This is because the National Assembly’s powers are limited as the the bill involves the Pakistan Penal Code and the Criminal Code of Procedures.

Therefore, the bill will have to be taken up in the provincial assemblies in order to be implemented at a provincial level.

Speaking during the session, Federal Planning, Development and Reforms Minister Asad Umar said that all cases involving the kidnapping, rape and murder of minor children will be required to complete investigations within three months.

Taking to Twitter, Umar expressed the hope that the bill is also passed in the Senate, adding that protecting the country’s minor children should be the responsibility of the country’s lawmakers as well of the state.


Asad Umar

✔@Asad_Umar
https://twitter.com/Asad_Umar/status/1215541254085337089

زینب الرٹ بل جو میں نے پچھلی اسمبلی میں پیش کیا تھا لیکن اس اسمبلی کی مدت میں پاس نہ ہو سکا ، آج پارلیمان نے متفقہ طور پر منظور کر لیا. امید ہے سینیٹ بھی اس قانون کو جلد منظور کرے گی. اس ملک کے معصوم بچوں کی حفاظت پارلیمان اور حکومت کی اوّلین زمہ داری ہونی چاہیے


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Once the bill is passed by the Senate, it will pave the way for setting up Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Agency where missing child cases will be reported and which will generate an automatic alert.

Kasur killings
In the last few years, Kasur has been rocked by multiple incidents of abuse, rape and killing of children.

In 2015, Kasur’s Hussain Khanwala village had attracted worldwide attention when a child pornography ring was busted. Hundreds of video clips had emerged showing a gang forcing dozens of minor boys and girls to perform sexual acts and filming them. The gang had also used the videos to blackmail families of the children and extorted millions in cash and jewellery from them.

Last year, once again, the Punjab district came into the limelight after police in September found remains of three minor boys who they suspected were murdered being sexually assaulted.

At the time, Mazari had said it was "shocking to see continuing stories of child abuse victims surfacing in Kasur".

In a series of tweets, she had said the government's Zainab Alert Bill has been pending with the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights chaired by PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari "for months now".

Mazari had said her ministry had written to the standing committee to forward the bill to NA but it had not been done so far, terming the situation "frustrating procedures of unnecessary delays in human rights non-political legislation".
https://www.dawn.com/news/1527486/n...ll-two-years-after-uproar-over-kasur-killings

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Now they need to enforce it making new laws wont solve anything if no one is there to implement it or if the ones implementing it are themselves dirty.

This same parliament has people who are involved in these crimes and protect the criminals elements behind these hideous crimes. Either way its a step in right direction and i hope situation improves.

 

[HAIDER]

Now they need to enforce it making new laws wont solve anything if no one is there to implement it or if the ones implementing it are themselves dirty.

This same parliament has people who are involved in these crimes and protect the criminals elements behind these hideous crimes. Either way its a step in right direction and i hope situation improves.

Passing the law is NA fun, but no one there to implement. Do we have social setup where a parent or any family member complaint about this issue. Or ready to go police station. ????? ... aggressive awareness needed

 

[Deltadart]

There should be only one sentence for a horrific crime like child rape , and it's the death penalty. Judges shouldn't be allowed any sentencing flexibility that they can abuse based on the social and economic status of the perpetrators. 10 years is a joke, nothing more than an appeasement to the public sentiments.

 

[HAIDER]

There should be only one sentence for a horrific crime like child rape , and it's the death penalty. Judges shouldn't be allowed any sentencing flexibility that they can abuse on the social and economic status of the perpetrators. 10 years is a joke, nothing more than an appeasement to the public sentiments.

You have no idea how deep rooted issue in our country. Thousands of unrecorded cases in 3rd world.

 

[Deltadart]

You have no idea how deep rooted issue in our country. Thousands of unrecorded cases in 3rd world.

That's exactly why I feel that death penalty combined with DNA evidence, and most of all an honest investigation everytime is the only solution to this social evil.

 

[HAIDER]

That's exactly why I feel that death penalty combined with DNA evidence, and most of all an honest investigation everytime is the only solution to this social evil.

It can only possible if West donate some DNA labs. Otherwise State is not interested to setup more Labs. In whole Punjab there is only one Lab, which also entertain cases from other provinces. Huge backlog. On top Lab results has sometime accuracy issues.

 

[LeGenD]

That's exactly why I feel that death penalty combined with DNA evidence, and most of all an honest investigation everytime is the only solution to this social evil.

Friend,

Swift justice is only possible when Justice System is not about earning money.

Unfortunately, Pakistani Justice System is a DHANDHA (business), loosely based on Colonial era Justice System.

Enough money cannot be made if cases are quickly resolved.

 

[Valar.]

Zainab Alert’ mobile app launched in Karachi
Web Desk On Mar 11, 2020
KARACHI: Inspector General of Police Sindh Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar launched indigenously developed state-of-the-art Zainab Alert Mobile App in Karachi on Tuesday.

Addressing the ceremony held at Central Police Office, the IGP said that Mobile App will help to save the lives of our future generations through the use of current Information Communication Technology.

He said,” App has thoroughly been tested for last many months at CPO and CPLC by a dedicated team of experts to ensure that there is no bug in its operations of the alert system prior it’s formal launching.”

The ceremony was attended by high officials from all concerned departments, members of civil society, Officers /Staff of Sindh Police and guests from CPLC along with volunteers.

Earlier this month, the Senate of Pakistan passed Zainab Alert Bill 2020 which defines the law for the response and recovery of missing children.

According to the recent amendments passed by the Senate Standing Committee Human Rights, the police would be bound to register FIR of the missing child and action would be taken against the officers, denying to lodge the report.

The cases related to child rape cases will be heard by special judges.

A helpline 1099 will be established under the law besides constitution of an agency to take immediate action after responding complaints about abduction, murder and rape of minor children, read the bill.

Zainab rape and murder case
The bill is named after Zainab Ansari, who had been kidnapped on January 4 and found from a garbage heap on January 9. Zainab’s autopsy report suggested that the minor was sexually assaulted before being strangulated to death.

On January 21, the Supreme Court gave three days’ time to a joint investigation team formed to probe the rape and murder of Zainab to track down the culprit.

The JIT arrested the culprit named Imran Arshad on January 23 after the DNA proved that he was behind the rape and murder of Zainab and at least eight other girls from Kasur.

Read more: NA passes Zainab Alert bill for response, recovery of missing children

The rapist had been handed a total of three counts of death penalty and Rs2.5million in fine in another case of child sexual abuse.

Imran Arshad, who was already awarded four counts of the death penalty, one life term, 7-year jail term and Rs4.1 million in fines back in February for raping and murdering a seven-year-old girl named Zainab in Kasur, had confessed sexually abusing at least eight minor girls.

Imran Ali, who was awarded death penalty in the rape and murder case of seven-year-old Zainab, had met his ultimate fate on October 17.

Ali was hanged to death at 5:30 am at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Central Jail. He was executed in the presence of Judicial Magistrate Adil Sarwar, the deceased’s father, Muhammad Amin, and her uncle.

https://arynews.tv/en/zainab-alert-mobile-app-launched-karachi/