Senate Committee Pushes Sweeping Criminal Law Reforms, Including Death Penalty for Acid Attack Perpetrators

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior gathered in Islamabad on Monday and, after a marathon of debate, emerged with a bundle of criminal‑law amendments that could reshape how Pakistan tackles some of its most brutal offences. Chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, the panel examined a litany of private‑members’ bills – ranging from acid‑attack penalties to consumer‑rights safeguards – and voted them through, despite vocal dissent from the interior ministry.

At the heart of the legislative package lies the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill introduced by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir. The draft seeks to rewrite Section 336B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which currently deals with hurt caused by corrosive substances. Citing the recent, shocking acid attack on a female doctor in Quetta, the bill argues that the 2011 amendment simply isn’t enough. It proposes a punishment that could be “death or imprisonment for life, or a minimum of 14 years behind bars plus a fine of Rs 2 million,” a penalty designed, the sponsors say, to serve as a real deterrent.

Not everyone was on board. State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry voiced strong opposition, warning that such a harsh sentence might clash with international human‑rights standards. Still, the majority – including members of the Pakistan Peoples Party – pushed the bill through, signaling a political will to crack down on a crime that leaves victims scarred for life.

Equally significant was the committee’s unanimous approval of another amendment aimed at the nation’s most invisible labour force: domestic workers. Senator Sarmad Ali’s Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill would criminalise a litany of abuses – from physical violence and sexual harassment to wage theft and the illegal confiscation of identity documents. Penalties range from up to ten years’ imprisonment and a Rs 100,000 fine for lesser offences, to life imprisonment and a Rs 500,000 fine if the abuse results in serious injury or death. The bill also holds employers accountable for abuse committed by other household members, unless they can prove they took “reasonable steps” to prevent it.

In a move that touches on everyday safety, Senator Shahadat Awan’s amendment targets the risky practice of siphoning liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into smaller cylinders without proper safeguards. The proposed changes bump the maximum jail term for illegal decanting from six months to two years and raise fines from a paltry Rs 1,000 to Rs 100,000. A harsher clause – five years’ imprisonment and a Rs 500,000 fine – applies to repeat offenders or those whose actions endanger public life. The committee justified the upgrade by pointing to frequent explosions in residential neighborhoods and roadside workshops.

Another, more somber, bill seeks to end a disturbing trend of hospitals withholding dead bodies until families settle outstanding bills. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri introduced a new Section 338CA that makes “Wrongful Detention of Dead Body” punishable by up to two years in prison and a Rs 500,000 fine for a first offence, with steeper penalties for repeat violations. The amendment stresses that the dignity of the deceased – and the right of families to timely burial – should not be trampled by commercial greed.

Rounding out the legislative package were two further reforms: an anti‑rape amendment championed by Bushra Anjum Butt, urging the government to back stronger investigative and trial mechanisms for sexual assault cases, and a consumer‑protection bill pushed by Senator Zehri that pulls private hospitals under the 1995 Islamabad Consumers Protection Act. The latter mandates transparent billing, bans arbitrary advance deposits before emergency treatment, and forces hospitals to display fee schedules publicly.

All these bills now head to the Senate floor for full debate and voting. If approved, they could mark a watershed moment for Pakistan’s criminal justice system – one that couples harsher punishments with broader protections for vulnerable citizens. Whether the political momentum sustains, and how the courts will interpret the new provisions, remains to be seen. But for many survivors of acid attacks, domestic abuse, or exploitative medical practices, the legislation offers a glimmer of hope that the law might finally catch up with their suffering.