Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) on Thursday passed a bill for amendments in the criminal law with regards to child abuse and child pornography.

PML-N’s Pervez Rashid laid before the House the bill to amend the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 (the criminal law amendment bill, 2015). Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Shireen Mazari demanded that the maximum age limit of a child be brought at par with the international law of 16 years. Pakistan Peoples’ Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) lawmaker Azra Fazal Pechuho demanded raising the maximum age of a child to 18 years and added that the censor board is to be blamed for violence in the younger generation.

PPP-P’s Shazia Marri demanded that the upper age limit of children be increased as per international laws. PPP-P lawmaker Nafisa Shah pleaded for defining the age of a child before passing the legislation, adding that in Sindh the lawful age of marriage is 18, while in the rest of the country it is 16 and that the upper age limit should conform with at least one of them. Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Mehmood Khan Achakzai demanded either incorporating within the current or making a fresh law of similar clauses to be implemented for all age groups, not just the children.

Leader of the opposition Khursheed Shah lamented that every time the treasury is to pass a bill there is no quorum and demanded the government adhere to the requirements of the constitution. Pervez Rashid responded that there is no age limit in the international conventions and NA Standing Committee has approved the upper age limit and that if further amendments are required then they can be made in the Upper House. The bill was later passed by the Lower House of the parliament.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal’s (JUI-F) Fazalur Rehman resented the recent visit of Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and lashed out at the treasury for showing lack of confidence in discussing Kashmir. Rehman said that a report was sent to the American government by Pentagon suggesting that “the only way of ensuring supremacy over the world is by starting wars in every region”. He said the American economy makes billion of dollars by fuelling wars as they are able to sell their arms, ammunitions and military technologies and added that for them it is more suitable to continue the “war on terrorism” in Afghanistan.

Rehman further lamented that turbulent Afghanistan will never lead to a peaceful Pakistan. Rehman said, “We need to now alter our war strategy and suit it on the principles which will lead to a peaceful Pakistan.” He said that the idea of not raising the Kashmir issue at any international forum because of the accord of Simla is “wrong” adding that when United Nations (UN) and other global watchdogs have passed resolutions against human rights violations in Kashmir and atrocities committed by the Indian armed forces, “we have all the right to speak for an end to violence in Indian held Kashmir”.

Rehman said, “When India is constantly violating international resolutions and laws by committing atrocities against Kashmiris then the accord of Simla cannot bar us from raising the pending issue of Kashmir at all forums.” He said that the Kashmir Committee formed in 1993 has so far “zero output” and reminded the Lower House that India protesting against China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a sign of jealousy as the route will benefit not just South Asia and Afghanistan but also the African nations willing to purchase Pak-Chinese products.