ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Interior unanimously approved the Private member bill to establish child courts in child abuse cases and recommended that the bills be passed by the National Assembly.
The private member Bill “The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024” (sections 9A, 164A, 366A, and 497), moved by the PMLN MNA by Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar. The meeting of NA Standing Committee on Interior was held with the chair of its Chairman Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz here at Parliament House on January 6.
According to statements of objects and reason of the bill The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (sections 9A, 164A, 366A, and 497), this Bill seeks to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, to address these challenges by introducing a specialized framework for the swift and effective handling of child abuse cases.
The bill aims to establish child courts in every district, city, or jurisdiction, exclusively tasked with hearing cases of child abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and neglect. These specialized courts will ensure that child victims receive justice through a legal process that is both efficient and sensitive to their needs.
The Bill mandates that child abuse cases be expedited, with a six-month trial limit from the filing of the charge sheet, ensuring that proceedings are concluded promptly and without unnecessary adjournments. Day-to-day trials will be conducted to minimize delays and further trauma to the child victim.
The Bill includes measures to ensure that children’s identities are kept confidential, their safety is prioritized, and they are shielded from intimidation or harassment during the judicial process. The introduction of child-friendly questioning procedures, the option for testimony via video link or closed-circuit television (CCTV), and psychological support during testimony are key provisions to reduce the trauma experienced by the child.
By establishing specialized courts, introducing expedited trial processes, and prioritizing victim protection, this bill aims to strengthen the legal framework for the protection of children and ensure that child abuse cases are addressed swiftly and sensitively, with the best interests of the child at the forefront.
The NA standing committee considered ‘The Naturalization (Amendment) Bill, 2024’ (sections 3-9, 11 & 12) (Government Bill) and recommended that the bills be passed by the National Assembly.
The Committee also reviewed “The Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2024” (Section 14A) (Government Bill), “The Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill, 2024” (Government Bill), and “The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2024” (Section 498 AA), moved by Ms. Sofia Saeed Shah, MNA, and deferred them to the next meeting.
During the discussion on the ‘The Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (Section 14A)’, Committee member Agha Rafiullah raised questions about how many Pakistanis have dual citizenship, how many have renounced dual citizenship and did Nadra have data on how many people have dual citizenship in which countries.
The legislator of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Agha Rafiullah, Nabeel Gabol and Qadir Patel appeared to play the role of opposition against the dual citizenship.
Agha Rafiullah also asked how was the issue of dual citizenship relaxed to honour a single person and with which countries does Pakistan have a citizenship agreement.
He said that in the past, the degrees of 45,000 students of Al-Khair University were verified including the degree of the NAB chairman and last year, a person was given an important position by giving relief on dual citizenship.
In the meeting, Nabeel Gabol opposed the legislation to give passports to those who renounce Pakistani citizenship and said that legislation should not be made to benefit a person from a single party. “Those who go abroad and surrender their Pakistani nationality are dishonoring the country. I strongly oppose giving citizenship or passports to give a person a position.
In the next meeting, the Foreign Office officials should be called and details should be taken about this,” he said.
On this occasion, government member Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry supported the bill that going abroad and surrendering nationality is not dishonoring the country. “Only the citizens who are going abroad and spreading mischief against Pakistan have their passports revoked,” he said.
Committee member Abdul Qadir Patel claimed that 22,000 bureaucrats have dual citizenship. He said a member of the National Assembly and a judge cannot take dual citizenship, but bureaucrats can avail it.
He said that no person with dual citizenship be appointed as a bureaucrat. “Members of the National Assembly and judges cannot hold dual citizenship, while custodians of important files can.
The Standing Committee on Interior has summoned officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Establishment Division to its next meeting.
The committee deferred Starred Question No. 13, moved by Ms. Aliya Kamran, MNA, due to her absence.
The CDA chairman briefed the NA committee on Starred Question No. 141, moved by Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, MNA, and provided an update on the Master Plan of Islamabad.
The committee expressed displeasure over the hiring of international firms, considering it a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Chairman NA Standing Committee on Interior emphasized that the Ministry of Interior should engage local professional experts, town planners, and reputable firms for the timely finalization of the Master Plan of Islamabad.
The committee also expressed significant displeasure over the imposition of heavy fees and fines on unregistered vehicles and directed the Ministry of Interior to ensure not only the cancellation of Notification No.5 (12)-Law/2021 1-Vol-11.1721 dated 2nd August 2024 but also refund collected amounts to the public in line with the committee’s previous recommendations.
Furthermore, the committee recommended a one-time relaxation for new registrations and a token late fee for three months. The Interior Ministry was directed to consult with relevant department and stakeholders to revisit the increased slabs and formulate a standardized registration fee structure.
The Director General of FIA was directed to brief the Committee on the government’s current policy and strategies for addressing human trafficking cases in the country.
The chair directed the DG FIA to prepare and present a legislative draft for stricter punishments for agents involved in human trafficking and to fix responsibility on FIA officials and officers found complicit in such cases.
The committee also directed the Circle Registrar of Cooperative Housing Societies, ICT, Islamabad, to resolve the complaint of Ms. Qurat-ul-Ain Khawar regarding non-possession of Plot No. 10, Street No. 275, and Plot No. 35, Street No. 269, in FECHS Jinnah Garden, Islamabad.
The meeting was attended by Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Mohammad Jamal Ahsan Khan, Nisar Ahmed, Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza, Muhammad Arshad Sahi, Jamshaid Ahmed, Syed Rafiullah, Sardar Nabeel Ahmed Gabol, Abdul Qadir Patel, Khawaja Izhar Ul Hassan, Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani, Ms. Zartaj Gul, and Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, MNAs, Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Ms. Sofia Saeed Shah, MNAs/Movers, the Secretary and senior officers from the Ministry of Interior.
Published in News Daily on 07-January-2025.
