Rapists public hanging law, not in offing: Minister
From Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari on Friday said that no law for the public hanging of rapists in offing. In an informal discussion with journalists at her ministry, Shireen Mazari said that government continues to mull several measures to prevent such incidents.
She sighted the international conventions, Pakistan has signed in this regard. Her comments have come days after the Prime Minister called for public hangings of rapists in a TV interview. The Premier’s comments drew debate on social and formal media about the public hangings of rapists.
The Prime Minister said that habitual sex offenders should be physically or chemically castrated so that they could not commit such crimes in the future. He had added, however, that the hanging of a rapist publicly might be opposed internationally as many countries carried out castration of sex abusers.
“If Islam guides us to give punishment to rapists publicly then there must be some wisdom in it,” Information Minister Shibli Faraz had said at a post-cabinet meeting press conference later in the evening.
Faraz had said the government would not accept any pressure from the international community and would make legislation regarding the public hanging of rapists and chemical and physical castration of habitual sex abusers. “We will not tolerate any pressure from the west, east, north, and south,” he had declared.
“Rapists must be hanged publicly so that they become an example for others,” the minister had said, adding that exemplary punishment should be awarded to the culprits of the motorway incident.
Shireen Mazari however stated that the government was determined to prevent such tragic incidents of rape in the future in the country. She stated that more women would be inducted in the police force to ensure the provision of justice to victims of rape and violence.
