Tourists are protected in “PROTECTION OF PAKISTAN Bill 2014”
Islamabad: Tourists are protected in “PROTECTION OF PAKISTAN Bill 2014”. Parliament of Pakistan has passed a bill on April 8, 2014 that protects tourists and foreigners because now killing, kidnapping, extortion, assault or attack on tourists will be dealt under special laws under terrorism act through special courts. Clause 7 of Schedule ensures protection of tourists.
It may be mentioned that two Czech female tourists were kidnapped by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan last March and both are still in the custody of Afghan Taliban as they were shifted to Afghanistan by TTP. Two female Czech tourists Hana Humpaloia and Antonie Chrastecka, were abducted by men wearing paramilitary uniforms from an area near the Pak-Iran border on March 13, 2013.
There was no special law to protect tourists in the country and any crime against tourists was tried in normal courts through normal criminal act causing a delay of years for decisions. In case of crime against tourists, there is nobody to follow the case because tourists go to their countries within stipulated time of their visa and mostly embassies do not follow such cases. After this law, the state will follow the case even victims is not present for judicial process.
Tourism industry has appreciated government of Pakistan for these laws and consider such law will discourage people to commit crime against tourists.
This new law is called PROTECTION OF PAKISTAN Bill 2014
SCHEDULE
Scheduled Offences (1) The following acts, if committed with the
purpose of waging war against Pakistan or threatening the security of
Pakistan shall be the scheduled offences and includes other offences
relating to:
(i) acts that are calculated to influence or affect the conduct
of Government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against
government conduct;
(ii) crimes against ethnic, religious and political groups or
minorities including offences based on discrimination, hatred, creed
and race;
(iii) use of arson, fire-bombs, suicide bombs, biological weapons,
chemical weapons, nuclear arms, plastic explosives and other materials
capable of exploding or creating bombs employed to kill persons or
destroy property;
(iv) use of arson and bombs on public places, government premises,
sites of worship, historical places, business concerns, or other
places, and risking or causing death to any person therein;
(v) killing, kidnapping, extortion, assault or attack of members
of the Parliament, Judiciary, Executive, Media, and other important
personalities;
(vi) killing, kidnapping, extortion, assault or attack on officers
and employees of Pakistan including armed forces and law enforcement
agencies;
(vii) killing, kidnapping, extortion, assault or attack on foreign
officials, official guests, tourists, foreign visitors, or
internationally protected persons etc;
(viii) killing, kidnapping, extortion, assault or attack on social
or welfare workers, including health personnel, aid workers, and
volunteers;
(ix) destruction of or attack on communication and interaction
lines, devices, grids, stations, or systems etc;
(x) destruction of or attack on energy facilities including
dams, power generating and distributing systems including stations,
lines and poles;
(xi) destruction of or attack on aircrafts and airports, attack on
flight crew with any weapon or endangering human life by means of
weapons on aircrafts;
(xii) destruction of or attack on gas or oil pipelines and liquid
or natural gas facilities and other means of their transport including
tankers;
(xiii) destruction of or attack on of national defense materials,
premises, utilities, and installations including check posts, prisons
and other fixtures;
(xiv) crimes against computers including cyber crimes, internet
offenses and other offences related to information technology etc;
(xv) wrecking, disrupting or attacking mass transport systems
including trains, buses, cars and their stations and ports;
(xvi) violence or attack against maritime navigation, maritime fixed
platforms, shipping and port installations and other maritime
fixtures;
(xvii) violence against nuclear arms, sites or any other related installations;
(xviii) hostage taking, or attempting to take hostage any person;
(xix) violence against nationals occurring outside of Pakistan;
(xx) transcending or crossing national boundaries.
(2) Offences Punishable under Sections 121, 121A, 122, 123, 123A,
123B, 124, 124A, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134,
135, 136, 137, 138, 139 and 140 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
(3) Any abetment or conspiracy to commit any of the above offences.
