Director General-Strategic Reforms Unit, Chief Minister’s Office Salman Sufi said Wednesday, “The Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit has worked tirelessly in collaboration with the Local Government and Community Development Department and the Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Department to introduce legislations to cater for the crucial issues including lack of inclusive and sacred burial spaces, facilitation of grieving families, land encroachments, and the protection of women. We have created history by getting two ground-breaking legislations passed in one day.”
The Chief Minister’s Strategic Reform Unit’s Punjab Shehr-e-Khamoshan Authority Bill 2017 and the Punjab Women Protection Bill 2017 were introduced in the Punjab Assembly session on 24 May, 2017, and were subsequently passed after thorough scrutiny by the assembly members.
The Punjab Shehr-e-Khamoshan Authority Bill 2017 was promulgated on 11 April, 2017 by the governor of Punjab. The bill was then approved by the Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development on 4 May, 2017.
As per the Act, the Punjab Shehr-e-Khamoshan Authority will construct, maintain and monitor standardised inclusive graveyards. The authority will work in consultation with the concerned local governments. The Shehr-e-Khamoshan Authority will ensure the delivery of services including prayer services, ghusl, mortuary, hearse services as well as services of cremation and burial for non-Muslim communities in different cemeteries.
Similarly, the Punjab Women Protection Authority Bill 2017 was also promulgated on 11 April, 2017 by the governor of Punjab. The bill was then approved by the Standing Committee on Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Department on 16 may, 2017.
The Punjab Women Protection Authority will construct, maintain, monitor and operate the Violence Against Women Centres for –female –victims of violence. One such centre has been operational in Multan since the March 25, 2017. These one-stop shop justice delivery centres will provide services including medico-legal, forensics, police, prosecution, mediation and psychological aid and rehabilitation to the victims. As per the Act, the Women Protection Authority will have adequate female representation in its main structure. The amendments proposed by the opposition were adequately addressed and defended by the Minister of Human Rights, Tahir Khalil Sindhu.