Sindh Assembly makes manufacture, sale of ice drug capital offence.

Byline: Tahir Siddiqui

KARACHI -- The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed the Control of Narcotic Substances (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2021, making the manufacturing, selling and dispatching of methamphetamine drug, commonly known as ice or crystal, a punishable offence as a person involved in the heinous crime could get death penalty.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the government bill, the culprits are given no punishment in trial courts as neurotoxic synthetic drugs including ice, crystal and meth were not defined in the laws.

'Punishment for drug-related crimes in the law are also assigned as per quantity whereas severity of addiction and harm is not considered and drugs like heroin and cannabis are treated in same category,' it added.

It also said that rigorousness of punishment may vary with respect of quantity, that's why it was very difficult for police to prove the heinousness of the crime and get desired conviction.

'No person shall extract, prepare, process, manufacture, sell, purchase, deliver on any terms whatsoever, transport or dispatch the drug', the bill said, adding that the people found involved in violating the law could be given death penalty, or imprisonment of three years to life term, depending upon the quantity of drugs.

As per the bill, a person could be given capital punishment, or life imprisonment, if the drug's quantity exceeded to 10 kilograms. The fine up to Rs1 million may also be imposed on the law violators.

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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla, who moved the bill after the standing committee on law presented its report, said that the legislation was the need of the hour.

He said that there was no law for punishing the people involved in manufacturing and sale of recreational drugs.

'It [the bill] is for the betterment of our new generation,' he added.

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The house also unanimously passed the Letter of Administration and Succession Certificate (LASC) Bill, 2021 that would enable people to obtain the document directly from the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), bringing an end to the lengthy process of obtaining it from courts.

Currently, LASCs are being issued under the Succession Act 1925 by the courts having jurisdiction.

The parliamentary affairs minister, who presented the bill in a very thinly attended...