Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government is going to crimminalise enforced disappearances by amending the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Taking to twitter, the minister said that a bill had been drafted and sent to the Law Ministry, adding that the PTI was living up to their human rights commitments.
“Our Ministry, after inter-ministerial meetings with stakeholders two weeks ago, developed consensus to criminalize enforced disappearances through amends in PPC” she said in a tweet.
“A bill to that effect was drafted and sent to Law Ministry. PTI lives up to its Human Rights commitments.”
Our Ministry, after interministerial mtg with stakeholders, two weeks ago developed consensus to criminalize Enforced Disappearances through amends in PPC. Bill to that effect was drafted & sent to Law Ministry. PTI lives up to its Human Rights commitments. @HamidMirPAK
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 24, 2019
Back in August 2018, the Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights had urged the Ministry of Human Rights to draft legislation to recognise enforced disappearances as a distinct, autonomous offence. A few days later, the Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, also announced that the government is considering tabling a law to criminalise enforced disappearance.
It has been a long-standing demand of human rights groups to make enforced disappearances a distinct crime.
Recently, it had been rumoured that instead of bringing a law on enforced disappearances, the government was simply considering signing the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) – and that too with reservations.
The human rights minister’s twitter statement, however, indicated that the government would be pursuing amendments in the PPC to make enforced disappearances a distinct crime.
[…] Via: PakistanToday […]
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