ISLAMABAD, 23 November 2006 — Federal Minister for Law Chaudhry Wasi Zafar tabled the Women’s Protection and Empowerment Bill in the Senate yesterday. The bill has already been adopted by the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. The bill amends some clauses of the Hudood Ordinance.
Women legislators and activists of the Muttaheda Majlis-e-Amal staged protests in front of the Parliament building denouncing the bill. “We will not accept un-Islamic legislation,” they said.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani said the government was examining all aspects of the Hasba Bill adopted by the NWFP Assembly. The federal government has decided to challenge the Hasba Bill in the Supreme Court because it says the bill aims to set up a parallel judicial system in the province.
One of the leading opposition parties, the PPP, has supported the women’s bill in the National Assembly. “We will support the bill in the Senate too,” said PPP Senator Dr. Safdar Abbasi. “The policy of our party is to scrap the Hudood Ordinance altogether,” PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto said.
Several MMA deputies have resigned from the Parliament to protest against the women’s bill. But differences have cropped up within the MMA leadership over the issue of en masse resignation from the Parliament.
