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| India-Pakistan |
| Loopholes persist in 'honour killing' bill |
| 2016-07-25 |
| [DAWN] The proposed legislation on honour killings has introduced strict punishment for the convicts making it tougher than the ordinary murder cases. However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... legal experts are of the view that after killing a relative in the name of honour, a person may declare it a simple murder to avoid the punishment. Under the existing law, a murderer can be released after the legal heirs pardon him. But the proposed legislation on honour killings recommends 25 years’ imprisonment even if the heirs of the victim pardon the convict. Under Section 302 of the Pakistain Penal Code (PPC), the convict in a simple murder case may get the life imprisonment of 14 years or a maximum of the death penalty. Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, a criminal law expert and the president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, said the legislation on honour killings would not achieve the desired results as the accused may claim that he had committed the murder for other reasons such as a dispute over property etc. Hence, he may be charged with Section 302 of the PPC and the family members may pardon him under Section 309 of the PPC. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Who could have seen that one coming? |
| Posted by: gorb 2016-07-25 20:38 |