By our Staff reporter
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, in theory, introduced a law on the chemical castration of rapists and the swift investigation of cases of sexual harassment.
The decision was taken at a federal cabinet meeting where the law ministry proposed a draught anti-rape ordinance, Geo TV announced. No official announcement has been made, however.
The report claimed that the proposal involves increasing the involvement of women in the police, speeding up rape investigations and protecting witnesses. Khan stressed that this is a serious matter, so there should be no delay in enforcing the law to provide a secure environment for people. He said the law would be simple and straightforward with strict implementation.
Khan also said that the rape survivors would be able to file complaints without fear, adding that the government will protect their identity. Some federal ministers have proposed public hanging for rape convicts, according to the report. The federal cabinet has in principle, accepted stringent sentences for rape convicts.
Taking Twitter, Pakistan’s ruling Tehreek-i-Insaf Senator Faisal Javed Khan said the legislation will soon be tabled in Parliament.
The rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Lahore in January 2018 and more recently, the Lahore highway gang rape sparked a debate on the severity of the punishment for the prevention of sexual harassment. Notably, a Pakistani woman was reportedly gang-raped in front of her children by robbers on the motorway in the province of Punjab on 9 September this year, causing public outrage and sending shock waves across the country.