ISLAMABAD, Oct 21 (APP): Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Agha Hassan Baloch Friday termed the passage of the Criminal Laws Amendment Bill 2022 from National Assembly as a major success in efforts against enforced disappearances. The Bill has been unanimously passed from the National Assembly after amendment by Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief, Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal, he said in a statement.
The federal minister said that according to the approved Bill, the heinous act of enforced disappearance has been declared a crime and those who commit such a crime will be brought to justice while the victims’ families will be given justice, ending the exploitation.
He said that the BNP chief opposed clause 514 of the proposed Bill stating that if the information of the plaintiff or the person providing the information is not correct, he should be imprisoned for five years and fined one lakh rupees.
The BNP’s stance was that such a clause would discourage complainants and informants and make it very difficult for heirs to prove their claim in such sensitive cases.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazir Tarar accepted the objection of BNP chief and removed the clause from the Bill and presented it in the House which was unanimously approved.
Federal Minister Agha Hassan Baloch said that the unanimous approval of this Bill by the joint efforts of BNP and the government is a big victory for the affected families of Balochistan.
