The hard state

THE Punjab government has recently drafted a bill “to provide for control of habitual offenders and anti-social behaviour that affect the writ of state, cause public nuisance and expose society to criminal activities” in the province. The proposed law will replace The Restriction of Habitual Offe­nders (Punjab) Act, 1918, and the Punjab Control of Goondas Ordinance, 1959; one a pre-independence colonial preventative law to restrict activities of habitual offenders, and the latter a post-indep...

By [email protected] (Tariq Khosa)