ISLAMABAD: It’s no surprise the Pakistani street wants faster, harsher justice for sexual crimes following the gang-rape of a woman on a highway last week that has caused uproar in the South Asian nation but rights advocates say the government should focus on strengthening the criminal justice system to ensure ‘certainty of punishment’ instead of making calls for public hangings and chemical castrations.
Last week, a mother of two was driving along a major highway near Lahore when her car ran out of fuel. As she waited for help along the road, at least two men arrived, dragged the woman out of her car and raped her at gunpoint, in front of her children.
In an interview aired on Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said he believed the culprits should be hanged publicly or chemically castrated.
Rights advocates and lawyers have cried foul at the suggestion, saying Pakistan needs better policing and prosecutions, not new laws or punishments that will trample fundamental rights in the government’s rush to be in tune with popular rage.
“In most countries that allow chemical castrations, these are only carried out in a regulated manner against perpetrators of child sexual abuse, in consultation with doctors and psychologists,” Reema Omer, legal adviser South Asia for International Commission of Jurists, told Arab News.
She said that the punishment is “often voluntary and a condition for such offenders to get parole.”
“Their objective is rehabilitation and preventing repeat offenses,” the lawyer said. “They are not viewed as exemplary punishment of all kinds of sexual offenses, which appears to be what the prime minister is considering for Pakistan.”
Rape is a criminal offense in Pakistan, with punishment ranging from up to 25 years in prison to the death penalty. No official data is available for the number of rape cases in the country, though experts estimate they are in the thousands each year.
In Pakistan, the conviction rate in rape cases is under three percent, according to the Karachi-based War Against Rape (WAR).
Omer said that every time a rape grabbed headlines in Pakistan, there was public outrage and an ‘erroneous focus’ on enhancing the sentence: “Even the most severe penalty won’t be a deterrent for such crimes if perpetrators know there is less than five percent chance they will be convicted,” she said.
If Pakistan enacts laws to make chemical castration of sexual abusers legal, it will join a small group of nations that allow such a punishment, including Indonesia, Poland, Russia, and Estonia, as well as some states in the United States. In 2011, South Korea became the first Asian country to use chemical castration as a punishment.
The procedure involves using a drug to reduce testosterone levels and affect the sex drive.
Sarah Zaman, former director at War Against Rape, said rape was prevalent in Pakistan because of “impunity” and systematic flaws in the criminal justice system that helped culprits escape accountable.
“We need to defeat the culture in our society that encourages such crimes instead of raising the punishments,” she told Arab News, adding that the government need to work on increasing conviction rates in rape cases.
“It’s ignorant, short-sighted and non-serious,” Zaman said when asked about the PM’s suggestion that rapists be chemically castrated. “Also, this won’t help reduce impunity to the criminals.”
Dr. Qibla Ayaz, chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, a body that advices the government on the compatibility of laws with Islam, said the council had recommended that the government establish special courts that could hear cases of heinous crimes like rape.
“Sufficient laws and strict punishments regarding rape already exist, and we just need to ensure their implementation to deter the crime,” he told Arab News.
Maliha Zia Lari, a human rights activist and lawyer, also suggested that the government focus on “certainty of the punishment” through cogent reforms in the criminal justice system.
“We need to understand that rape is a power offense and not a lust crime,” she said. “We need to change the patriarchal mindset to curb sexual violence against women.”
Rights advocates wary as Pakistan suggests public executions, chemical castration after gang-rape
https://arab.news/jyv5z
Rights advocates wary as Pakistan suggests public executions, chemical castration after gang-rape
- Activists and legal experts urge government to strengthen criminal justice system, ensure ‘certainty of punishment’ rather than opt for stopgap solutions
- Council of Islamic Ideology says adequate laws and punishments regarding rape already exist and need to be implemented properly
Ex-PM Khan gets protective bail in two terrorism cases filed in Islamabad
- The cases were registered against him after his party supporters clashed with the police at Judicial Complex
- Lahore High Court takes up contempt petition filed by Khan after Saturday’s police raid at his Lahore residence
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted protective bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in two terrorism cases which were filed against him after clashes broke out between the police and his party supporters at the Judicial Complex in Islamabad on Saturday.
Khan was scheduled to appear in a district and sessions court in a case involving the illegal sale of state gifts, commonly known as the Toshakhana reference, though the court decided to adjourn its proceedings after fighting intensified between the two sides.
Judge Zafar Iqbal allowed Khan to go back after signing the attendance roll after being informed that the former prime minister could not move to the courtroom amid teargas shelling by the police and stone pelting by the activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The government decided to file cases against Khan and dozens of his party leaders and supporters on terrorism charges in the wake of the incident.
“The Lahore High Court on Tuesday approved Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s protective bail in two terrorism cases filed against him in Islamabad,” reported Dawn newspapers, adding the bail would be effective until March 27.
Separately, a Lahore High Court judge took up a contempt petition filed by the former prime minister after police raided his residence in Lahore on the same day when he was in Islamabad for indictment in the Toshakhana reference.
The court had instructed the police to stand down last week after they went to Khan’s residence to detain him following the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants against him by the Islamabad district court.
“I reached the Islamabad Toll Plaza and they attacked my house,” Dawn quoted Khan as saying in the court.
“The only message they have given is that there is no rule of law,” he added.
The judge announced he was going to initiate the contempt proceedings while also asking the authorities to provide details of cases against the former prime minister.
Months after Pakistan floods, millions lack safe water — UN
- Floods in Pakistan last year damaged most water pipelines in affected areas
- More than 5.4 million people forced to rely solely on contaminated water from ponds
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations children’s agency on Tuesday warned that after last summer’s devastating floods, 10 million people in Pakistan, including children, still live in flood-affected areas without access to safe drinking water.
The statement from UNICEF underscored the dire situation in impoverished Pakistan, a country with a population of 220 million that months later is still struggling with the consequences of the flooding, as well as a spiraling economic crisis. The floods, which experts attribute in part to climate change, killed 1,739 people, including 647 children and 353 women.
So far, less than half of UNICEF’s funding appeal for Pakistan — 45 percent of $173.5 million — has been met. According to the agency, before the floods struck last June, water from only 36 percent of Pakistan’s water system was considered safe for human consumption.
The floods damaged most of the water pipelines systems in affected areas, forcing more than 5.4 million people, including 2.5 million children, to rely solely on contaminated water from ponds and wells, UNICEF said.
“Safe drinking water is not a privilege, it is a basic human right,” said Abdullah Fadil, the UNICEF representative in Pakistan. “Yet, every day, millions of girls and boys in Pakistan are fighting a losing battle against preventable waterborne diseases and the consequential malnutrition.”
“We need the continued support of our donors to provide safe water, build toilets and deliver vital sanitation services to these children and families who need them the most,” Fadil added.
Amid the crisis, Pakistan faces uncertainty about a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Analysts say the revival of the $6 IMF bailout, which was signed in 2019, would help Pakistan. If the global lender released a key installment of the package, it would encourage other international financial institutions to help the country, they say.
At a UN-backed conference in Geneva in January, dozens of countries and international institutions pledged more than $9 billion to help Pakistan recover and rebuild from the floods. But most of the pledges were in form of project loans, and the projects are still in the planning stages.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government is also facing a surge in militant attacks and political instability as his predecessor, Imran Khan, is campaigning for early elections. Sharif has rejected the demands by Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April.
Sharif seeks political and economic stability to ensure speedy reconstruction in the flood-hit areas, where the weakest and the children are paying the price.
“In flood-affected areas, more than 1.5 million boys and girls are already severely malnourished, and the numbers will only rise in the absence of safe water and proper sanitation,” UNICEF said.
The floods caused more than $30 billion in damages as large swaths of the country remained under water for months, forcing millions to live in tents or make-shift homes near stagnant waters that led to the spread of disease.
Sharif’s government is also trying to provide food and cash assistance to flood survivors as the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan starts this week, adding more financial burdens to the poorest of the population.
Pakistan’s parliament summoned in midst of crisis over former PM Khan
- Khan’s supporters have clashed with police several times over recent days during his court appearances
- Speaker says ruling coalition called for parliament to “take important decisions” to enforce state’s writ
ISLAMABAD, March 21 : Pakistan’s parliament is to meet in a special joint session on Wednesday to “take important decisions” to enforce the state’s authority, media reported, in the midst of a crisis over anti-government defiance by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Former cricket star Khan was prime minister from 2018 until 2022, when he was ousted from office in a parliamentary vote. Since then, he has been demanding a new election and holding protests across the country to press his case.
His supporters have clashed with police several times over recent days as authorities try to force him to appear in court in connection with various cases brought against him.
The office of the speaker of parliament, in calling Wednesday’s joint session, did not give a reason but the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said the ruling coalition had called for parliament to “take important decisions” to ensure the writ of the state was enforced.
The APP, reporting on a meeting attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet, cited the participants as saying Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was not a political party but “rather a gang of militants,” and its “enmity against the state” could not be tolerated.
Sharif has rejected Khan’s demand for a new election saying it would be held as scheduled later this year.
Parliament will meet in the capital, Islamabad, as Khan’s supporters gather for his latest rally in the eastern city of Lahore.
The clashes between Khan’s supporters and the security forces have brought a new round of political chaos to the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people, which is in the midst of a crippling economic crisis.
Khan says the government and the powerful military are trying to stop him from contesting the next election, scheduled for November. If convicted in a case, Khan could face disqualification from the polls.
Both the government and military deny this.
Police have arrested hundreds of Khan’s supporters in raids in recent days in response to the clashes.
Gunmen slay 11 in northwest Pakistan ‘family feud’ – police
- Inter-family feuds are common in Pakistan, particularly in northwestern region
- Police official says “up to five people opened fire” on a vehicle carrying 11 people
PESHAWAR: Gunmen killed 11 people including a prominent local politician in northwest Pakistan, police said Tuesday, an ambush blamed on a decades-long vendetta between families.
Inter-family feuds are common in Pakistan, but in the mountainous northwestern region where communities abide by traditional tribal honor codes they can be particularly protracted and violent.
Police said 42-year-old Atif Munsif Khan, leader of a district council in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was killed on Monday night in the town of Havelian, 33 kilometers (20 miles) north of Islamabad.
District police official Omar Tufail told AFP that “up to five people opened fire from two sides” on a vehicle carrying Khan and 10 others, including bodyguards and a police escort, “killing them all on the spot.”
“The vehicle caught fire as a result and all on board were burned alive and the charred bodies are now beyond recognition,” he said.
Tufail said the Khan family registered a police complaint “blaming the assassination on their rivals” in a feud “said to be almost five decades old,” which also claimed the life of Khan’s father and grandfather.
“Dozens of people from both sides have been killed as a result of this family feud so far,” he added.
Another local senior police official, Sajid Tanoli, confirmed the incident and ruled out the involvement of militant groups such as the Pakistan Taliban which have long thrived in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Khan was a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former prime minister Imran Khan, although the men were not related.
Human Rights Watch urges Pakistan to drop ‘overboard’ terrorism charges against ex-PM’s supporters
- Police registered terrorism cases against over a dozen members of ex-PM Khan’s party over Saturday’s clashes
- Human Rights Watch urges police to respect right to peaceful assembly, keep unlawful violence in check
ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed worry on Tuesday over the use of “overboard” terrorism charges by the government against former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters, a few days after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party supporters clashed with police in Pakistan’s capital.
Islamabad police on Sunday registered a terrorism case against more than a dozen members of Khan’s party for vandalism at the capital’s judicial complex. Clashes erupted on Saturday when the former prime minister arrived for a hearing in Islamabad in a case relating to the sale of state gifts while Khan was prime minister. Khan faces a slew of cases across the country, with charges against him ranging from murder to sedition, which carries the death penalty in Pakistan.
Punjab police and the caretaker provincial government have both accused Khan’s supporters of pelting stones and hurling petrol bombs at law enforcers. Khan denies the allegations and insists the Shehbaz Sharif-led ruling coalition government wants to kill him.
In its statement, the HRW urged Pakistan to “appropriately prosecute” any of the former prime minister’s supporters who have engaged in unlawful acts of violence, uphold the right to peaceful protest, and refrain from unlawful use of force.
“The use of Pakistan’s vague and overbroad anti-terrorism provisions against opposition protesters is very worrying,” Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “If the authorities believe that Khan’s or his supporters’ actions have resulted in violence or constituted a real threat to public safety, they should be charged under the appropriate laws.”
Gossman stressed on the need for both sides to respect the rule of law and human rights and practice restraint. “It is vitally important for the police to respect the right to peaceful assembly while holding those responsible for unlawful violence to account,” she added.
Separately, Khan wrote to Pakistan’s chief justice on Monday and urged him to conduct an investigation into Saturday’s clash with law enforcers and the earlier police raid on his Lahore residence. According to a copy of the letter seen by Arab News, Khan stated that police attacked his party’s supporters when he had arrived at the Islamabad judicial complex “without any provocation.”
“I realized something was amiss and that it was not my arrest that was being planned but my assassination,” Khan wrote.
“In view of the continuing threats to my life and the assault on my home, I would request you to order a proper investigation into these events,” he added.
These actions have never happened before to anyone let alone a former Prime Minister and leader of the largest political party in Pakistan.”
On Monday night, PM Sharif chaired a meeting of the coalition government’s parties. In a press statement after meeteing, the government accused Khan’s party supporters of attacking law enforcers and vowed to take stern action against them.
“Attacks on officers and personnel of state institutions by violently trained gangs of banned organizations is very alarming,” the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said in a statement.
The police in Pakistan have used abusive measures in the escalating confrontation between police and Imran Khan’s supporters, Human Rights Watch said today.
They have charged protesters with batons and detained them under sweeping counter-terrorism laws. The authorities should appropriately prosecute any of the former prime minister’s supporters who have engaged in unlawful acts of violence, uphold the right to peaceful protest, and refrain from the unlawful use of force.
“The use of Pakistan’s vague and overbroad anti-terrorism provisions against opposition protesters is very worrying,” said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If the authorities believe that Khan’s or his supporters’ actions have resulted in violence or constituted a real threat to public safety, they should be charged under the appropriate laws.”
All sides should display restraint and respect for human rights and the rule of law,” Gossman said. “It is vitally important for the police to respect the right to peaceful assembly while holding those responsible for unlawful violence to account.”
