Webdesk: Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Interior has approved a bill proposing the death penalty for perpetrators of acid attacks, signalling a tougher legislative response to a crime that can leave victims with lifelong physical and psychological injuries.
The Criminal Law Amendment Bill, moved by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir, seeks to amend Section 336B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with hurt caused by corrosive substances. It proposes death, life imprisonment or imprisonment of at least 14 years, along with a fine of Rs 2 million.
The committee cited a recent acid attack on a woman doctor in Quetta as one reason for the proposed amendment. The case involved 29 year old Mahnoor Nasir, who was seriously injured at Quetta Civil Hospital in June after another employee allegedly threw acid at her.
The proposed tougher punishment comes shortly after a significant Supreme Court judgement. In August, the court described acid attacks as more heinous than homicide, observing that such crimes can condemn victims to a “living death”.
The committee’s decision also comes after another acid attack in Karachi. Last week, a 35 year old woman suffered burns after a man allegedly threw acid at her in the city’s Upper Gizri area.
Acid attacks have long raised concerns because their consequences can extend far beyond the initial injury. Survivors may face permanent scarring, loss of eyesight, repeated medical procedures, psychological trauma and social consequences.
The Senate committee also approved several other criminal law amendments during Monday’s meeting. These included proposals to criminalise abuse of domestic workers, increase penalties for unsafe LPG decanting, and make the wrongful detention of dead bodies by healthcare facilities a punishable offence.
The proposed acid attack amendment, however, carries particular significance because it places the question of punishment against a wider debate over deterrence and the protection of victims.
The bill still has to go through the remaining parliamentary process before it can become law. Until then, the existing provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code remain applicable.
The debate ultimately goes beyond how severely perpetrators should be punished. It also raises a harder question for Pakistan’s justice system: whether stronger laws can translate into faster investigations, effective prosecutions and meaningful protection for survivors.
