NA passes Women's Protection Bill
The National Assembly passed the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill to reform Pakistans rape laws on Wednesday. The bill included several amendments to sections 7, 8, 9 and 12 of the draft approved by a parliamentary select committee, as proposed by a committee of religious scholars.
Government parties and the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians voted in favour of the legislation. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz legislators voiced opposition to the bill, though neither voted against it, the former walking out of the house before voting and the latter abstaining. Wednesday also marked the end of the current National Assemblys fourth parliamentary year. During a marathon debate before the passage of the bill, MMA legislators called the bill un-Islamic and reiterated their threat to resign.
Posted by: Fred 2006-11-16 |