Daily Times

Female parliamentarians belonging to treasury and opposition parties got united for justice to Noor Mukaddam and other victims of rape and murder, during the National Assembly’s Friday session.

Setting aside the routine agenda, the female legislators strongly condemned the rising trend of rape, sexual abuse, killing and slaughtering of women across the country. “If a female in federal capital of Pakistan is not safe, then what would be the situation in the rest of the country,” they maintained. “It is regrettable that in center of Islamabad, a young girl, Noor Mukaddam was slaughtered brutally. Despite the arrest of the culprit and its associates, the case is being delayed,” the parliamentarians regretted.

Although several laws already exist and more are in process, but the violence against women and sexual abuse of children is not ending in Pakistan. They raised the issue of Noor Muqaddam’s brutal murder in Islamabad and three years old girl’s rape in Lahore, and asked the NA speaker to constitute a parliamentary committee to review the rape cases properly.

The parliamentarians argued that if severe punishment had been given in any single case either in the case of Zainab, Khadeja, Mahnoor etc. then a person would think 1000 times before committing such an inhuman act of beheading a woman. Some parliamentarians said that protection of human life was responsibility of the government and urged that severe punishments should be given in such cases.

They even pleaded that women are unsafe in Pakistan and they feel frightened because of the rising violence against women. The parliamentarians were of the view that laws exist but the real problem is the lack of their implementation. A country cannot progress in which 52 per cent women feel threatened.

Uzma Riaz urged to block unethical websites, and impose a ban on immoral dramas aired on different TV channels. While, Shahida Akhtar Ali and Abdul Akbar Chitrali were of the view that implementation of Islamic laws is the only solution to stop gender-based violence and exploitation of children. They said there are strict rules of stoning against rape and other cases. If Islamic laws are followed strictly then no one would commit such heinous crimes.

Zil-e-Huma was of the view that Peshawar High Court freed a Professor who was involved in female harassment cases, a decision not welcomed by the victims. She also claimed that several female students had given statements against the professor.

While a female legislator of PTI Asma Qadeer, in her emotional speech, said the government could not be run until all the rapists and killers are publically hanged.

Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said that for the first time government is becoming plaintiff in murder and rape cases against women and children. She said Islamabad Police has established a gender protection unit and anyone can call on 8090 for help against women harassment and child abuse.

She said all the culprits in Noor Mukadam case were arrested and state is scrutinizing the case. She said the whole house is united against such inhuman acts.

Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Shahida Rehmani, and Ghazala Saifi while talking on a point of the order demanded the concerned authorities that a speedy trial of the Noor Muqaddam case is necessary to prevent such atrocities. The House is scheduled to meet again at 5 pm on Monday.