Corpse-eaters give Pakistan's lawmakers something to chew on

As fright seekers in the United States prepare for Halloween, lawmakers in Pakistan are working to try to prevent their country producing the world's next real horror story.

Until now, there has been no law in Pakistan against cannibalism, a fact that has fuelled persistent rumours of crazed residents roaming cemeteries and streets searching for their next meal. Thankfully, many of the tales appear to be just that - unfounded legends.

But Pakistan has documented several cases of cannibalism over the years, prompting lawmakers to introduce legislation this week to try to curb the problem.

One bill in the National Assembly clarifies that anyone who exhumes a corpse with "intent to cook, eat, sell or to use for magic purposes" will face a mandatory jail sentence of between 10 years and life behind bars. A second bill would make eating human flesh punishable by at least seven years in jail.

The legislation is in response to a particularly grotesque case in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province in 2011.

That year, police received a call from a man who reported that his sister's grave had been dug up. The ensuing investigation took police to the home of two brothers. When police arrived at their house, they found the men cooking the 24-year-old cancer victim's limbs into a stew.