Senate approves child rights bills
The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights on Friday, November 26, approved the Juvenile Justice System (Amendment) Bill 2021, the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Protection (Amendment) Bill 2021 and the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (Amendment) Bill 2021 following some amendments.
Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari briefed the Committee on replacing “government” with “concerned department” in the bills to facilitate smooth implementation and timeliness. The meeting also took up the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Amendment) Bill 2021, citing numerous loopholes in the existing law. Committee chair Senator Waleed Iqbal suggested direct consultations with human rights organizations for amendments to the bill.
Karachi man strangles wife dead for ‘honour’
Surjani Town police on Friday arrested one Zulfiqar for murdering his wife, Laraib, for ‘honour’.
According to police, the victim had dialed Madagar 15 in the night between Thursday and Friday and said she feared her husband wanted to kill her but failed to give her address. Police were unable to reach back, however Laraib called again and repeated her plea while also divulging her address. However, when police reached her home, they found her dead.
Police arrested the woman’s husband who initially tried to mislead investigators by claiming their house had been broken into by burglars who raped his wife. However, upon further questioning, Zulfiqar promptly confessed to murdering his wife.
He told police that the victim was a divorcee and had contracted a free-will marriage with the suspect. Laraib had given birth to their son less than a month ago. The couple however often argued – Zulfiqar alleged that his wife continued to meet with her former husband and strangled her dead over this suspicion.
The couple’s newborn was handed over to their neighbours after the victim’s sisters refused to take him in.
Protest in solidarity with murdered boy’s family
A protest against the rape and murder of 10-year-old Kahna Kumar on November 19 was carried out by local chapters of the Hindu Panchayat, Hindu Naujawan Sangat and various human rights organizations outside the press club on Friday.
Earlier on Tuesday, November 24, suspects Mudassir Manghanhar and Syed Inam Shah recorded their statements before a Judicial Magistrate in Khairpur, submitting that they had smashed the boy’s head in with a rock and strangled him after sexually assaulting him.