Pakistan drops death penalty for public stripping of women

Dubai: In a controversial move stirring intense debate, the Pakistan Senate (Upper House) has passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, abolishing the death penalty for the public stripping of women.

The amendment, tabled by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, proposed replacing the death sentence with life imprisonment. The change is part of Pakistan’s effort to align its laws with the European Union’s GSP+ trade conditions and obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which permits capital punishment only for the “most serious crimes.”

Currently, Section 354-A reads: “Whoever assaults or uses criminal force against any woman, strips her of her clothes and exposes her in public shall be punished with death or life imprisonment, along with a fine.”

The government’s rationale, outlined in the bill’s statement of objects and reasons, argues that while the act is heinous, international law does not categorise it among crimes warranting capital punishment. Stakeholder consultations in 2021, involving legal experts, religious scholars, and rights advocates, also sought to balance Islamic jurisprudence with international human rights norms, Geo Tv reported.

Dangerous precedent

The amendment drew sharp criticism in the Senate. PTI Senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar argued that stripping a woman in public is no less severe than murder, insisting that removing the death penalty weakens deterrence.

Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri of the Balochistan Awami Party warned that the softening of punishment could embolden offenders, especially when the conviction rate in such cases remains alarmingly low. “This is not right. This is not going to help the country or its women,” she cautioned.

She added that instead of reducing penalties, the focus should be on strengthening prosecution, police reforms, and judicial accountability.

Low crime rate

In response, Pakistan Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar contended that the severity of punishment does not guarantee prevention. Citing European countries where the death penalty has been abolished, he noted that crime rates there are significantly lower. He also reminded the House that capital punishment for this specific offence was introduced only in 1982 under General Zia-ul-Haq, then president and martial law administrator of Pakistan.