Senate Committee Pushes Tougher Laws, Including Death Penalty for Acid Attack Perpetrators

Islamabad – On Monday, the Senate Standing Committee on Interior took a decisive step toward tightening Pakistan’s criminal code. Chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, the panel cleared a bundle of private‑member bills that aim to protect some of the most vulnerable members of society and to curb dangerous practices that threaten public safety.

The headline‑grabber was the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill introduced by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir. It seeks to overhaul Section 336B of the Pakistan Penal Code – the provision that currently deals with injuries caused by corrosive substances. The bill proposes a punishment ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty, along with a fine of up to Rs 2 million, for anyone convicted of an acid attack.

“We cannot keep talking about ‘deterrence’ while women and men continue to bear the scars of acid violence,” the bill’s draft notes, citing the recent attack on a lady doctor in Quetta. Even after the 2011 amendment, the horrific practice persists, leaving victims with lifelong disfigurement, trauma and social stigma.

Senators from the ruling party and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) voted in favour, despite vocal opposition from State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry. The motion passed even though the bill’s mover was absent – a reminder that the issue’s urgency has outstripped political theatre.

Not content with focusing on acid attacks alone, the committee also unanimously approved a sweeping amendment to protect domestic workers. Senator Sarmad Ali’s bill recognises that household staff are often trapped in a grey zone of exploitation – physical abuse, forced labour, wage theft, even the confiscation of identity documents.

Under the proposed law, offenders could face up to ten years behind bars and fines up to Rs 100,000, while the most heinous cases – those causing serious injury or death – could attract life imprisonment and fines as high as Rs 500,000. Employers would also be held liable if abuse occurs in their homes, unless they can prove they took “reasonable steps” to prevent it.

Safety in the home extends beyond people to the very fuels that power our kitchens. Senator Shahadat Awan’s amendment targets the illegal decanting of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into smaller cylinders – a practice that’s turned many residential neighborhoods into tinderboxes. The bill raises the imprisonment term from two to five years for such offences and hikes fines from Rs 10,000 to Rs 500,000, aiming to deter reckless handling of explosive substances.

In a move that touches on a more solemn matter, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri introduced a new Section 338CA to criminalise the wrongful detention of dead bodies. Families have long complained that private hospitals hold onto corpses until hefty medical bills are settled, sometimes demanding up to Rs 4 million. The amendment proposes up to two years imprisonment (or a Rs 500,000 fine) for the first offence, and up to three years (or a Rs 1 million fine) for repeat violations, with exemptions only for autopsies or police investigations.

Other bills cleared the floor without much fanfare but with significant impact. The Anti‑Rape (Investigation and Trial) (Amendment) Bill, championed by Bushra Anjum Butt, received the committee’s backing, reinforcing the legal framework against sexual violence. Meanwhile, Senator Zehri’s amendment to the Islamabad Consumers Protection Act pulls private hospitals under the 1995 consumer‑protection law, demanding transparent fee schedules and banning upfront deposits before emergency treatment.

All these measures, though varied in scope, share a common thread: a determination to plug loopholes that have allowed injustice to fester. Whether it’s the gruesome fallout of acid attacks, the quiet suffering of domestic helpers, or the hidden dangers of home‑based LPG decanting, the Senate panel appears ready to put teeth into the law.

Only time will tell how quickly these proposals move from the committee room to the streets of Pakistan, but the signal is clear – the country’s lawmakers are no longer willing to let the status quo stand when lives and dignity are at stake.