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Pak govt removes castration clause from rape law in last-minute cold feet

Pak govt removes castration clause from rape law in last-minute cold feet

Pakistan Federal Minister of Law and Justice Farogh Naseem in an interaction

In an interesting twist, Pakistan government has amended the bill in the last minute and removed the castration clause.

The development comes on the recommendation of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), country’s law minister told journalist Adeel Warraich for his Youtube channel.

In the house, the clause on castration was omitted at the last moment while the bill was being passed.

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In an interaction with Adeel Warraich, an Islamabad-based journalist, Pakistan Federal Minister of Law and Justice Farogh Naseem said, “Chemical castration clause has been repealed in Anti-Rape Law recently. It was approved by the joint session of Parliament.”

This seems to be a blatant example of the government succumbing to the pressure.

Earlier, Pakistan's parliament was looking to pass legislation that may subject sex offenders convicted of multiple rapes to chemical castration. It was passed with an aim to speed up convictions and impose tougher sentences.

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The bill was brought in after a public outcry against recent rise in incidents of rape of women and children. There was a growing demand for curbing crime effectively.

Almost a year ago, Pakistan President Arif Alvi had approved anti-rape ordinance that was cleared by Pakistan Cabinet. The ordinance called for chemical castration of rapists.

(With inputs from agencies)