ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has accorded his assent to three bills earlier passed by parliament, the Presidency said in a press release on Tuesday.

The bills included Torture and Custodial Death (Prev­e­­ntion and Punishment) Bill, 2022; Anti-Dumping Duties (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and Trade Organisations (Ame­n­­­dment) Bill, 2022. The bills, approved under Article 75 of the Constitution, became laws after the assent.

On Aug 1, the National As­­sembly passed Tortu­­re and Custodial Death (Pre­­vention and Punish­m­ent) Bill, 2022, with certain amendments, to criminalise and prevent torture, custodial death and rape committed against persons in custody of public officials.

The amendments authorised the National Commis­si­­on for Human Rights along with the FIA to register complaints of the aggrieved.

In the Anti-Dumping Dut­ies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, Chinese firms have been exempted from anti-dumping duty for products used in building Gwadar’s new airport. The third bill, Trade Org­anisations (Amen­d­­ment) Bill 2022, defines purpose, role, responsibilities and operational framework, in­­cluding code of corporate governance, for organisations. It also empowers the federal government to regulate trade organisations’ operations.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2022