KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on the advice of the prime minister has approved the extension of ‘criminal law (Third Amendment) Act, 2011’ to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Spokesperson to the president Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the president, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of article 247 of the constitution of Pakistan, has approved and signed the notification.

The Criminal Law Act, 2011 shall now apply to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

After the extension in the criminal act, section 310-A of Pakistan penal code now provides for punishment of up to 7 year imprisonment but not less than 3 years and a fine of five hundred thousand rupees for giving a female in marriage or otherwise in badla-e-Sulh, Wanni or Swara or any other custom or practice under any name, in consideration of settling a civil dispute or a criminal liability.

Whereas, sections 498-A, B& C, dealing with offences against women, now provides for prohibition of depriving women from inheriting property, prohibition of forced marriage and prohibition of marriage with the Holy Quran respectively.

The summary received in the presidency states that the KP governor has approved the proposal for extension of the said act and accordingly the home and tribal affairs department of the province, after being vet by the law, justice and parliamentary affairs division submitted the summary to the prime minister through the ministry of states and frontier regions for onward submission to the president for his approval.

The spokesperson said that under article 247 of the constitution, no act of parliament or provincial assembly shall apply to PATA or any part thereof unless the governor of province, in which the tribal area is situated, with the approval of the president, so directs.