ISLAMABAD The Government is going to introduce an Acid Control and Burn Crime Prevention Bill 2010. Through the Bill, National Acid Control Council would be established to formulate policies of treatment, rehabilitation and to provide legal aid to the acid and burn victims and take necessary steps to implement and monitor these policies. The draft of the Bill has almost been finalised which will soon be forwarded to the Law Ministry and then be presented in the Parliament. The purpose of the Bill is to control the import, production, transportation, boarding, sale and use of acid to prevent the misuse of acid and provide legal support to acid and burn victims. The draft has been prepared by making consultations with all the stakeholders including members of Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), National Commission on Status of Women, UNIFEM and MoWD. All crimes under this Act will be cognisable, non-compound-able and non-bailable. The National Acid Control Council will be established to implement the Act in every province. Moreover, the emphasis was laid upon the fact that there is a dire need to make the provincial Acid Control Committees more effective so as to ensure prevention of sale of acids in their relevant areas of jurisdiction. According to legal experts, there are many provisions in the Pakistan Penal Code, which may address this crime to some extent but the enormity of the consequences faced by the victims needs much more severe penalties than presently available in the law. Moreover, since acid is so readily available in medical and other stores, acid attacks become a relatively cheap and effective way of committing acts of violence against women. So it is necessary to specifically term acid and burn related violence as crime by providing tougher and stricter penalties. According to the proposed draft, the victims of acid attack or burn attack shall be deemed to be person with disability and entitled to benefits and all measures under The Disabled Person (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance, 1981. Every concerned medical personnel in any hospital, basic health unit, private, government, semi-government or any other place from where medical services are dispensed, upon taking cognisance of acid attack injuries of a victim, and providing or arranging treatment for him/her, shall be under a legal duty to report to nearest police station and his/her place of employment, if applicable, shall also ensure such reporting. Every medical personnel of every government-run medical facility would be under legal duty to examine the victim and ensure medical examination by competent person and provide him/her with medical treatment and rehabilitation to treat the injuries contributed partially or impartially by acid attack or burn attack free of any cost. And the Acid and Burn Crime Control Tribunal, where contravention of this provision is proved, can order the authority employing such medical personnel to take appropriate action against his/her negligence of duties or where necessary, action to be taken against the medical facility and give directions accordingly. Whoever attempts to commit an offence of acid attack or burn attack and if it was executed but no injury had resulted, in such case the perpetrator would be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than seven years and shall also be liable to fine.