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A writ petition (an order by a higher court to a lower court or courts) has been filed in Lahore High Court to stop necrophilia through strict laws and policies.
Syeda Izzat Fatima, who is a lawyer, asserted in her petition that there had been numerous reported and unreported incidents in Pakistan where individuals had been caught molesting dead bodies but there were no specific laws to charge the culprits.
What is necrophilia?
Necrophilia, in simple terms, is a psychological disorder that involves sexual attraction to a dead body. The most common motive for necrophilia is the possession of an unresisting partner who would not reject. Necrophiles often choose occupations that put them in contact with corpses.
Plea filed for strict laws against necrophilia
The petitioner cited an incident in which one Mohammad Riyaz was accused of molesting 48 bodies in Karachi’s North Nazimabad Town. She stated that Article 37 of the Constitution, dealing with “Promotion of social justice and eradication of social evils”, covered the act of necrophilia, which was a social evil not just towards the deceased but their families as well.
She said many families were reluctant to bury their female members in graveyards and they mostly kept protecting the graves for months in a fear that the deceased could also become a victim of the heinous act.
“There are no relevant provisions in Pakistan to deal with necrophilia and due to that, there are countless incidents where offenders are being arrested but discharged later because there are no laws or provisions to charge such offenders,” Advocate Izzat Fatima added.
She cited Article 9 of the Constitution which guarantees the security of the person and Article 14 that safeguards inviolability of dignity of citizens. She stated the offenders not only harmed the dignity of a dead person but also extended to the dignity of surviving family members.
The petitioner made respondents the federal secretary of the ministry law, justice & parliamentary affairs, the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan, ministry of human rights, chief secretary of Punjab, and inspector general Punjab Police. To ensure the severity of punishment for the crime of necrophilia, she requested that the court issue directions.
Two years ago, a man from Khanpur, who was the caretaker of a graveyard, was caught in the unthinkable act of raping a dead woman in Joiya Sharif village, Okara.
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