March 09 , 2016
News
Women protection law: “Clash of Titans” between liberal and radical Pakistan
Yasir Habib Khan
LAHORE – With all bane and boon, women protection law has catalysed an epic war among ultra Islamists, liberal and moderate to set future tone and picture of Pakistan on world landscape.No matter who will lose and who will win, the law has created infinite ripples in the water stilled for ages gifting a chance to shape up a new Pakistan to be potentially more vocal and awakened on gender taboos. As the matter is flashpoint for status quo, clergy leaving aside all even their ingrained differences are up in arm to nip the women protection law.
The Islamic Council of Ideology (ICI), predominantly top state-run religious body, also sprang into action to sound the death knell. The Federal Shariat Court has already jumped into fray after a petition filed to invalidate the new law that criminalises every form of domestic, psychological or sexual violence against women. The law has also been challenged in the Lahore High Court.
In a bid to pay in same coins, liberal class have girded up their loins to demonise religious might that have nothing to do with women rights, under-representation, domestic violence, psychological and physical abuses, honour-killing, underage marriages and harassments.
Being moderate force, the government has not picked the side and it has been pulling out all stops to strike balance. It is pondering to summon ‘All Parties Conference on the issue so that better sense may prevail. Pakistan, home to roughly 100 million women, witnesses thousands of females falling victim of violence and abuses from acid attacks to sexual assault, honour killings, marriage with the holy book and incidents of use of girls for dispute settlements.
According to a report, every year more than 2000 women have to take refuge in Dar-ul-Amans (women shelter homes) to escape violence. Around 6800 cases of harassments, disfigurement, home violence were reported last year in Punjab. Incidents of rape and gang rape are numbered 1,409. The statistics of the Punjab Gender Parity Report 2016 and the Gender Management Information System reveals that trend in violence against women is on rise.
The report finds a 20 per cent surge in the incidents of violence against women during the last three years. There were 173 honour killings cases were reported in 2015. “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you; we are victims of evil customs,” Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, once said.
“It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.” However, it is pathetic that various segment of society particularly religious fanatic legitimatise to subjugate women and claim with proud that man being superior to women has ultimate right to resort violence on women if required.
With the legislation of women protection law comprising 31 clauses, religious spectrum is red-hot berserk. The Jamat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F, Jamat-ul-Dawa, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Ahle-Sunnat Waljamaat, Sunni Itehad Council, which stayed alienated and fired salvo against one another during general elections 2013 and recent local bodies elections have dramatically turned friends for one cause – to repel women protection law.
It is also blessing in disguise that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), which lost all hopes to rise from dead, has started showing some glimmers of life in the wake of roaring animosity against the law. MMA, once a political alliance of ultra conservative Islamists which paved their way for overwhelming rule in Pakhtunkhwa 2002, was in state of limbo since long and it is likely to resurrect soon as hinted out by religious titans.
March 15 is going to be ultimatum day as top clergy irrespective of their school of thoughts and political affiliations are all set to put their heads together in the Jamaat headquarter Mansoora to kickoff massive anti-women protection law drive. JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman also whispered to quit PML-N-led coalition government if his voice stays unheard.
The proposed meeting plans to take on board all system of seminary boards, comprising Wafaqul Madaris (Deobandi), Tanzimul Madaris (Barelvi), Wafaqul Madaris Pakistan (Shia), Rabtatul Madaris Al Islamia (Jamaat-e-Islami) and Wafaqul Madaris Al Salafia (Ahle Hadith). As per report of the Interior Ministry and intelligence agencies, Pakistan is plagued with around 44600 unregistered seminaries.
Punjab abounds in 14958, Sindh 9890, Pakhtunkhwa 1500, and Balochistan gets infested with 1960 undocumented seminaries. The students of these seminaries will work as fuel for the protests to be launched after the Mansoora meeting. In response to tirade, moderate class seems to be detecting glaring flaws in the law so that it may be improved with better sense. Its theme sounds positive but its making appears to be done in haste.
One of the vivid errors that had to be fixed before making it a law is meager input by civil society and women right activists. The Social Welfare Department that outlined the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Bill 2015 did not prefer to set it forth for public debate seeking observations of various organisations working for women rights since many years.
National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) believes that law talks about how to give remedy to affected women but it is mute on how to ward off incident of violence against women. Clauses of law does not define clearly about domestic relationships and domestic work, households, sexual abuse, abetment, mischief, hurt, intimidation, harassment, criminal force, assault, stalking, physical abuse, trespass, psychological abuse, wrongful confinement and vulnerable people.
The law also neglected the important point that after violence, how the victim would be given psychosocial therapy and counselling. A numerous groups have underlined the need to review the criminal clauses of the women protection law to make it more compatible to social and religious values. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq dropped a hint to amend the law. He said that every law has some areas to be improved and asked opposition to table sensible suggestions to revamp the law accordingly.
It is up to the time and situation how it is unfolded but it is obvious that clash of titans begins with a bang. It will leave far reaching affects on the social, political and religious spectrum.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk