Women protection bill conflicts with Constitution, two-nation theory: CII
Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani chaired the CII meeting today.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk / Reuters) – The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday stated that Punjab’s women protection bill is against the Constitution and two-nation theory, Dunya News reported.
A meeting of the CII headed by Chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani took place in Islamabad today to review matters pertaining to formation of Quran board, elimination of interest and use of dead bodies for scientific research.
Apart from today’s agenda, the women protection bill that was recently passed in the Punjab Assembly was also discussed during the meeting.
Members of the council stated that this bill is against the Constitution and two-nation theory.
Reportedly, CII will present its recommendations after reviewing the issue in detail in the next session. Sources told that the council has also decided to seek copy of the bill from Punjab Assembly.
Lawmakers in Pakistan‘s largest province last Wednesday gave unprecedented protection to female victims of violence, in a bid to stem a rising tide of gender-related abuse in a country ranked as the world‘s third most dangerous place for women.
The new law criminalises all forms of violence against women, whether domestic, psychological or sexual, and calls for the creation of a toll-free abuse reporting hot line and the establishment of shelters.
Pakistan, home to roughly 190 million people, sees thousands of cases of violence against women every year, from rape and acid attacks to sexual assault, kidnappings and so-called "honour killings".
In 2013, more than 5,800 cases of violence against women were reported in Punjab alone, according to the Aurat Foundation, a women‘s rights advocacy group.
Those cases represented 74 percent of the national total that year, the latest for which data is available.
The new law establishes district-level panels to investigate reports of abuse, and mandates the use of GPS bracelets to keep track of offenders.
It also sets punishments of up to a year in jail for violators of court orders related to domestic violence, with that period rising to two years for repeat offenders.
Rights groups welcomed the law, but warned that its implementation remained a concern.
