17 October 2004	Sunday	02 Ramazan 1425

LAHORE, Oct 16: The Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan has decided to restrict to 300 the number of guests attending a marriage and introduction of uniform provincial laws on one-dish feasts at 'barat' and 'walima' to ensure restrictions on marriages extending to all over the country.

The commission says its report for the year 2003 released only recently has recommended to provincial governments that ostentatious displays and wasteful expenditure, aerial firing and other extravagant events in marriage ceremonies should effectively be regulated through the law.

The commission expressed its concern over the provincial governments failing in implementing in letter and spirit laws relating to curbing extravagant events at wedding parties.

It decided to amend the provincial wedding laws to introduce for the first time a restriction of allowing not more than 300 guests at marriage functions where they will be entertained to a single-dish feast.

The commission decided to recommend to the Prohibiting Excessive Expenditure on Marriage Ceremony and Dowry, a new law that will ultimately be adopted by provinces. The commission concurred to adopt the Punjab Marriages Functions (Prohibition of Ostentatious Displays and Wasteful Expenses) Act, 2003, to the extent of incorporating its definitions of single dish and penalties in the proposed uniform law.

It also decided to include the second wife of a federal government officer in the family and allowed medical facility to her as a dependent.

This facility is available to parents, wife, children, unmarried sisters and minor brothers under the Federal Services Medical Attendance Rules, 1990, which the commission has decided to amend to provide for more than one wife.

The commission has since sent its recommendation to the federal government for changes in the rules.

Recommendations: Federal and provincial governments have not implemented 16 of 30 recommendations made by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan sent from time to time during the last two years. The latest report of the commission for the year 2003, recently made public, says that recommendations for punishment for gang rape, addition of molestation as offence to the Pakistan Penal Code, making rioting as compoundable offence, prohibiting to pledge children to forced labour, curbing unauthorized sale and purchase of prize bonds and expediting trial proceedings have not been incorporated in different laws through amendments.

The NWFP government is also yet to implement the abolition of 'vani' (giving girls as consideration for compromise in a conflict) in accordance with the commission recommendations.

The Punjab government has not implemented the commission's recommendation for amending the Land Revenue Rules of 1968 for the appointment of 'lumbardar' (village headman) on merit and not just on the principle of primogeniture.

As for the implementation of the commission's recommendations, small cause courts have been established, the Family Courts Ordinance has been amended, trafficking of children as camel jockeys has been prohibited as hazardous employment, punishment for bouncing of cheques has been enhanced.

The commission has recently made more recommendations to the federal and provincial governments to reform laws. The commission has asked the federal government to amend Section 172-A of the PPC to provide for punishment of those who abscond from trial because this makes an adverse impact on investigation and causes inordinate delay in the conduct of trial.

The commission has also recommended the amendment of the West Pakistan Requisitioning of Immovable Property (Temporary Powers) Act of 1956 to ensure that the government used the powers of acquiring private property only for public welfare schemes.

Through another recommendation, the commission has recommended that penalty for forced child labour be enhanced to an imprisonment ranging between six months and two years with or without a fine of Rs20,000.

The commission has also, by way of recommending the amendment of certain procedural laws, has sought expeditious trial of cases. For this the system of investigation, eliminating unnecessary adjournments and the mode for submission of challan in the trial courts, has been changed to expedite the pace of litigation.

SECURITY: The Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan has also formulated a recommendation for the amendment to sections 11-A, 11-B, and 11-C of the Security of Pakistan Act of 1952 to ensure that any adverse action as confiscation or sale of any enterprise or undertaking in the interest of the national security, defence or external affairs, shall be subject to reasonable grounds and the owner or the management of the property shall be given an opportunity of personal hearing before the actual action is taken. The law also provides for the right to appeal against any such decision before a district and sessions judge or the high court.

Through another amendment, the commission has recommended to the federal government to enhance the ceiling for exemption from the stamp duty for a pauper from Rs1,000 at present to Rs25,000. According to the report, the poor and the destitute were exempted from stamp duty for the institution of a civil suit up to Rs1,000. They will now enjoy the exemption up to Rs25,000.