ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday passed three private members’ bills, including the bill against the corporal punishment of children, and referred eight other bills to the relevant committees for further consideration.
At the start of the proceedings, the treasury and opposition lawmakers, carrying placards in their hands, stood in front of each other following which NA Speaker Asad Qaisar suspended the proceedings at 16:56 pm.
The sitting resumed at 17:14 pm and took up the agenda appearing on orders of the day. The house passed three private members’ bills, which included the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill, 2020; the ICT Prohibition of Interest on Private loans, 2020 and the Al-Karam International Institute Bill, 2020.
On behalf of the chairman of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice, a member of the Committee presented the report of the Committee on the ICT Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill, 2020.
The bill was presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Mehnaz Akbar Aziz. According to Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, the amendment will make it possible for complainants to be filed in court.
The working children’s NGO, Zindagi Trust foundation Founder Shehzad Roy shared his joy over the development with a local news channel after the passing of the bill, considering the move a major victory for children’s rights.
He was grateful to Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah for suspending Section 89 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in 2019, which had allowed for the use of corporal punishment by parents, guardians and teachers “in good faith for the benefit”.
“Children grow up with the idea that violence is necessary for discipline […] that’s where the violence that we see in society comes from,” Roy lamented.
Teachers will have to be taught how to manage children without the use of violence, he said, adding that it is natural for teachers to feel frustrated when there are about 100 children in one class. He opined that there should not be more than 30 children in a class.
With the law having been passed against corporal punishments, Roy said now mass awareness campaigns need to be run, to communicate how children can be managed without resorting to physical violence.
Eight private members’ bills were referred to the relevant committees, including the Safe Milk and Dairy Bill, 2021; the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021]. (Articles- 51 and 59); the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Section 277 and Schedule-II); the Islamabad Poultry Production Regulation Bill, 2021; the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Insertion of Article11A); the Islamabad Bee-Keeping and Honey board Bill, 2021; the Compulsory Teaching of Arabic Language Bill, 2021 and the Unani, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Ten private members’ bills were deferred, including the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment in Articles- 1, 51 and106); the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment in Article-84); the Trade Organizations (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Children (Pledging of Labour) (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Section- 489F and Schedule- II); the Recusant Witnesses (Repeal) Bill, 2021; the West Pakistan Pure food (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Insertion of Article-35A) was withdrawn by its mover.
The committee chairman presented the report of the Standing Committee on the Ibadat International University, Islamabad Bill, 2021.
The house did not consider 41 reports of the Standing Committees, six resolutions, five motions under rule 259, three amendments in the rules of procedures and conduct of business in National Assembly 2007, two calling attention notices, one private member’s bill and a motion under Rule 259.
The house was adjourned to meet again on February 26, 2021, at 11 am.
