National Assembly on Friday approved a resolution demanding public hangings for anyone found guilty of sexual abuse, harassment and murdering of children.

The resolution was presented in the parliament by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, It was passed with a majority of votes apart from the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP). Opposing the bill, Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the practice of public hanging violates the laws of the United Nations.

Following the passage of the bill, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry took to his Twitter handle and condemned it.

Strongly condemn this resolution this is just another grave act in line with brutal civilisation practices, societies act in a balanced way barberiaism is not answer to crimes...... this is another expression of extremism pic.twitter.com/ye2abes8Dc

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) February 7, 2020

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari clarified that the resolution “was not government-sponsored but an individual act”.

The resolution passed in NA today on public hangings was across party lines and not a govt-sponsored resolution but an individual act. Many of us oppose it - our MOHR strongly opposes this. Unfortunately I was in a mtg and wasn't able to go to NA.

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) February 7, 2020