ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law and Justice, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and provincial home departments during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice disagreed over a proposed bill suggesting public hanging for persons involved in child abduction, abuse and killings.

The provincial representatives warned that public hangings would not only create the law and order situation but also put adverse psychological impact on the minds of children and other sections of society.

The CII suggested that the number of witnesses could be increased in jail and the media should asked to highlight the executions carried out there.

Council of Islamic Ideology says an increased number of people could be allowed to watch such executions inside jail

On Jan 22, during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, Senator Rehman Malik of the Pakistan Peoples Party had suggested that a bill for public hanging of culprits of child sexual abuse and murder should be passed.

Senators Malik, Javed Abbasi, Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Sardar Fateh Mohammad Hasani, Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Shahi Syed introduced the “Criminal Laws (offences relating to kidnapping or abducting a child) (Amendment) Bill, 2018”.

On Wednesday, while discussing the bill, CII Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said the prison rules already had a provision that as many as 12 witnesses could be called in the jail to watch the hanging of a convict.

“This provision covers the concept of public hanging in jails. If it is necessary, according to Islamic provisions, the number of witnesses can be increased to 40 and the media can be used to give awareness to the public about it,” he said.

The representatives of the provincial home departments collectively supported the idea of hangings in jail premises. They were of the view that it was the certainty of punishment that served as a better deterrent than its severity.

They warned that public hanging could create the law and order problem and cause adverse psychological impact on the minds of children and other sections of society.

The law ministry also supported the idea and said the current mechanism was sufficient. It was of the view that before doing any such legislation, the Supreme Court’s judgement of 1994 banning public hangings needed to be kept in view.

Chairman of the standing committee Javed Abbasi decided to continue deliberations on the issue and directed the law ministry to give its views on the requirement of amendment and the judgement of the Supreme Court in writing at the next week.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2018