Legal loopholes rendering future.

Byline: Amir Ishaq

Loopholes in the operating laws render it incapable to cope with Torture cases. Torture incidents turned into a public debate following the custodial death of Salahuddin Ayubi, a mentally ill teenage who was put behind bars alleged to have broken an ATM Machine. Unbeknownst to the public, private torture cells discovered on the backdrop of Salahuddin Ayubi's death. Pouring condemnation is justified here.

Under Article 14 (2) of Pakistan's Constitution, "No person shall be subjected to torture for the purpose of extracting Evidences". Similarly, Section 337-K of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) also prohibits causing of injury for extracting confession and this offence is punishable up to 10 years imprisonment.

A question that cries out for an answer is that, "Is torturing for the purpose of extracting confessions the only kind of torture in Pakistan?" If No, do the other types of torture fall into the legal black hole of existing laws? Torture exists in multiple forms, in schools, offices, in madrassas, but no laws have been legislated till now despite witnessing torture in multiple forms throughout different corners of the country.

Recent incident in Lahore that shocked the conscience of many, a 10-year-old boy breathed his last after being mercilessly thrashed by his school teacher. While torture on women has become a normal part of our lives. Constitution is the 'Supreme Law' of a state, but unfortunately, the only provision has been enacted in it that covers the only type of torture.

The children in madrassas are subjected to harsh...