[Al Arabiya Latest] The Afghan government confirmed Monday that a controversial law for the Shiite minority was not in force and reiterated it would be altered if a review found it contradicted women's rights.Western countries have expressed concern over the law, most recently at a NATO summit, and Canada said Sunday it had received assurances from Afghan Foreign Minister Dadfar Spanta that the process of enforcing the law "has been halted."
The Shiite Personal Status Law was signed by President Hamid Karzai last month but such documents only come into force once they are published in the government gazette. "The justice ministry is reviewing the law to make sure it is in line with Afghan government's commitment to human and women rights conventions," Baheen said. "If there are any problems in the law, the justice ministry will change it again and resend it to the parliament," he said.
The law, which has not been publicly released, is believed to state women can only seek work, education or doctor's appointments with their husband's permission. Only fathers and grandfathers are granted custody of children under the law, according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women.
Opponents of the legislation governing the personal lives of Afghanistan's Shiite minority have said it is "worse than during the Taliban."
Last month Pakistan's government agreed to restore a strict form of Islamic law in the Swat valley and neighboring areas of the northwest in a bid to take the steam out of a Taliban uprising in a move Western powers criticized who said it could result in further opression of women.