NA approves Zainab Alert Recovery and Response Bill

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday has passed “The Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill, 2020”. During the session, Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari thanked all the parties for supporting the bill and making it approved from the assembly. “Zainab Bill will be implemented across the country,” she assured. On the other hand, Khawaja Asif said that this bill was made with the sincere efforts of the all political parties and this should be implemented properly. Shireen Mazari announce the passing of Zainab Alert Bill with senate’s amendments by the NA. Dr Mazari thanked the people who championed the bill and mentioned the name of Asad Umar for raising the issue in parliament’s previous session. The minister also mentioned that after signing of the bill by the President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, it will formally take the form of proper law. Under the bill, a helpline will be established to report missing children while an agency for issuing an alert for missing children, will also be set up. The bill has proposed the death sentence, life imprisonment or rigorous punishment for a term for people who abduct children. Earlier, After the NA, the Senate approved the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill, 2019 with a majority on Wednesday. Senator Mushtaq Ahmed opposed the bill. Jamaat-e-Islami’s Sirajul Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed had proposed to turn the life term into capital punishment. After the enactment of the law, maximum and minimum punishment for the accused will be 14 and seven years respectively. The policeman not registering the case within two hours of the incident will be awarded two-year punishment and a fine of Rs100,000. On January 10, the National Assembly had approved the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill, 2019, exactly two years after the body of nine-year-old Zainab Ansari, a rape-murder victim, was found in Kasur in 2018.