Daily Times

LAHORE – Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday said that provincial government was ready to bring amendments in disputed sections of Women Protection Bill 2016.

Addressing a joint press conference with Ulema here, he said that resentments had been showed after the passage of the bill which earlier remained under discussion for eight months in the assembly and the government studied the bill for two years.

The minister said that government brought eight amendments in the bill while one amendment was also brought by Jamat-e-Islami leader member of the assembly Dr Waseem Akhtar. He said the assembly would discuss and change the sections if Islamic Ideological Council (IIC) presented any suggestions with arguments and proofs.

He said that law making on family matters was a right of the provincial assembly and other provinces had also made such laws on women protection. He said that no final point yet had been presented and further discussion would be made in the next meeting to be held after next week.

He said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had constituted a committee which would review the reservations on the bill raised by the religious scholars. He said that it was raised in the meeting that some sections of the bill were against the basic concept of home according to Islam.

Ulema leader Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, while addressing the press conference, said that entire bill was not contradicted and Ulema had reservations on some of the sections of the bill. He said that torturing the woman in Islam is prohibited, adding that some religious leaders were commenting against the bill without even reading its contents.

Member of the committee constituted by the chief minister, Salman Sufi said that word of man, husband, brother or father was not used in the bill likewise word of sister, wife or daughter was also not mentioned, adding the law was just made against the violence with women. Ulema from all schools of thought were present in the meeting.