PM has promised to address reservations over women protection law: Fazl

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has promised to addressed his reservations and make amendments to a legislation against domestic violence passed by the Punjab Assembly last month.

The prime minister had invited Maulana Fazlur Rehman to discuss the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Law, which redefines “violence” to include “any offence committed against a woman including domestic violence, emotional, psychological and verbal abuse, economic abuse, stalking or a cyber crime”.

Speaking to the media after the meeting at the Prime Minister's Raiwand residence here today, the JUI-F chief said, “The Prime Minister heard our reservations against the law. He promised to amend the bill so that it does not contradict with the Quran and Sunnah.”

He said that the prime minister had promised to form a committee which would look into the reservations of the religious parties, including the JUI-F.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman had earlier called members of the Punjab Assembly Zanmurids, an Urdu language term for uxorious husbands. JUI-F had vociferously opposed the law.

The law has been welcomed by rights’ activists but condemned by clerics and religious leaders who call it an ‘invasion of the privacy of the house’.

According to the recently passed women’s protection law, protection officers will be liable to inform defendant whenever a complaint is received. Offering resistance to the protection officers will be punishable by up to six months imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs500,000.

Special Centers will also be set up for reconciliation and resolution of disputes concerning women.

Violence against women has been criminalized in Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) which is a federal law. Acts of domestic violence are also an offence under various sections of PPC, and punishments for these have been prescribed in this federal law too.

According to the law, a toll-free number (UAN) will also be introduced to receive complaints while a district protection committee will be setup to investigate women’s complaints in this regard.