Husbands can ‘discipline’ wives under CII’s proposed bill

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Husbands can ‘discipline’ wives under CII’s proposed bill

ISLAMABAD: Husbands will be granted permission to beat their wives in order to ‘discipline’ them under a new bill being prepared by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) – Pakistan’s top clerical body.

Sources told Geo News early on Thursday that the council has been reviewing the draft of the bill, tabled by the CII member Mufti Imdadullah, in a three-day long meeting in the federal capital.

The draft of the bill consists of 163 clauses and will be sent to all provincial assemblies and the National Assembly for legislation after final recommendations on it by the council’s chairman.

According to the draft of the bill, women will be empowered with all Shariah rights including the one to partake in political process and become judges and write their own wills. However, they will be banned from working in ‘indecent advertisements’ that can cause ‘social harm’.

The bill, if legislated into law, will hold women liable to breastfeed their children for at least two years and ban advertisements that encourage substitute milk. Adult and sagacious girls will be able to marry without the guardian’s consent, according to the draft of the bill. However, women nurses will not be allowed to attend male patients.

The bill proposes ban on learning dance, music, and sculpture 'in the name of art' and women will neither be allowed to freely mix with na mahrams (non-relatives) nor will they be included in the receptions of the state’s foreign guests.

10-year imprisonment has been proposed for marrying women with holy Quran besides a complete ban on demanding and showing off dowry. Honour killing, Karokari, Siah Kari to be considered a murder and girls’ forced marriages for Wani or patch up will be punishable under the proposed bill.

There will be a complete ban on forced labour of women. Vasectomy or male sterilization will not be allowed without wife’s consent. The bill also proposes that abortion after 120 days of conception will be considered a murder and 20 per cent of blood-money will be required in case of miscarriage due to any external injury.

Adult girls will have the right to become Muslims and women will not be allowed to be killed during war situations. There will be a three-year imprisonment over women’s forced conversions and full investigation will be carried out of women’s death in acid throwing, other related incidents.