Islamabad HC bans corporal punishment

A top Pakistani court on Thursday suspended corporal punishment by parents, guardians, and teachers in Islamabad, the country's capital. After hearing a petition filed by musician and rights activist Shehzad Roy, the Islamabad High Court suspended till further notice section 89 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which allows corporal punishment, the Dawn News reported.

The section will only be suspended in the Islamabad Capital Territory, the report said. In his arguments, Roy said the section permitted violence and force against children, citing a child's death due to corporal punishment last year in Lahore.

"Punishing children is being considered as essential for improving learning. News of torture and punishment of children has been reported every day in the media," The Express Tribune reported, quoting the petition. Crimes against children have long been criticized by activists in Pakistan. The alleged torture of a class 7 student in Punjab province's Chishtian district was heavily criticized. In the incident, the teenager suffered serious injuries in his eye.