Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar on ‘End the silence on domestic violence’ have urged the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to approve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) domestic violence bill at the earliest.

The seminar was organised by the Provincial Commission on the Status for Women (PCSW) with the support of White Ribbon at a local hotel on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, KP Assembly Deputy Speaker Dr Mehar Taj Roghani said that the bill was drafted with the consultation of all the provincial religious parties keeping in view the local culture and there was nothing un-Islamic in the bill.

“The ratio of domestic violence is increasing day by day in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and there is a dire need of domestic violence bill to be passed and implemented,” Dr Taj added.

PCSW Chairperson Neelam Toru said, “We had spent over two years in consultation process to prepare the draft bill but the CII was using delaying tactics.” She asked, “If Punjab and Sindh can pass domestic violence bills then why not KP.”

She said, “W had sent two letters to the CII on the domestic violence bill but the council never replied.” She said it had become imperative to adopt the bill to stop violence related incidents in the province. She demanded the CII to approve the bill to give a sense of security not only to women but also to men and children facing violence.

Senior educationist and politician Miraj Hamyun Khan, Umar Aftab from White Ribbon, Maulana Maqsood and advocate Wali Khan also spoke.