Govt to promulgate 'stringent, holistic' anti-rape ordinance next week: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday announced that the federal government is bringing a "stringent and holistic anti-rape ordinance" next week.

Taking to Twitter, PM Imran said the ordinance will close all “loopholes”.

The premier said that he spoke to a police hero who played a key role in the recovery of Kashmore rape victim and lauded his bravery. 

Read more: 11 rape incidents reported across Pakistan every day: official data

Kashmore tragedy

The premier lauded Sindh Police ASI Mohammad Bux Buriro and his daughter for their part in rescuing a four-year-old girl from men who tortured and gang-raped her.

"Spoke to ASI Buriro lauding his and his daughter's exemplary initiative and courage in the arrest of Kashmore rapist," he wrote in a tweet. "The nation is proud of them and he has given positive uplift to the image of the police."

The premier was referring to the sexual assault of a minor and her mother by three men in Kashmore.

A young woman from Karachi was duped by three men who took her to Kashmore with the promise of a job. They gang-raped her before selling her to Khairullah Bugti — a member of the gang — while the child remained with the other two.

Later, she was let go on the condition that she would lure another woman. However, she approached the Kashmore police who helped her recover the daughter.

Speaking to Zara Hut Kay hosts on Dawn TV, SSP Amjad Ahmed Khan said since the police department lacked female officers, ASI Buriro offered to use his daughter to set trap for the suspects..

Rape laws in Pakistan

There has been much debate around rape laws in Pakistan. The incident of Kasur's Zainab and more recently the motorway gang-rape in Lahore sparked a debate on the severity of punishment to prevent sexual assaults.

Read more: Main suspect killed by accomplice, say police

Speaking at a joint sitting of the Parliament after passage of bills pertaining to the FATF, PM Imran had said that the government will soon introduce a three-tier legislation including registration of sex offenders, exemplary punishment for rape and child abuse and effective policing.

In an interview, PM Imran had suggested public hanging and chemical castrating the convicts to curb rising sexual violence in the country.