Issue No. 37 August-mid November 2011

Founded by Shahla Zia Patron-in-Chief: Nigar Ahmad

By Maliha Zia Lari

The Prevention of Anti-WomenPractices (Criminal Law Amendment)Act 2011 was passed by the NationalAssembly of Pakistan on Tuesday 15thNovember 2011 after much great effortand lobbying by the women's move-ment and the movers of the Bill, led byDr. Donya Aziz (PML- Q).

There has been a continuous struggleby the women's movement for years tobring to the forefront the heinouscrimes committed in the name of 'cus-tomary practice'. The women's move-ment celebrates with the members ofthe PML-Q who introduced the Actinto the National Assembly; it com-mends the government to allow thepromulgation and pass an oppositionBill and it acknowledges the membersof the National assembly who voted topass the Bill.

Since the passage of the Bill throughthe Assembly, there has been muchdiscussion and debate about the prosand cons of the provisions of the Billand what it has added and what hasbeen missed. It is necessary to have aproper understanding of what the pro-visions actually entail in order to notjust comprehend the law to critique it,but also for the purposes of lobbyingwith the Senators and other stakehold-ers, while also staving off opposition tothe Bill.

The sections of the 2011 Bill arereproduced in the boxes below, fol-lowed by a brief expansion andexplanation of the section.

Explanation:The intention of the legislation is to out-law practices which are crimes commit-

ted in the name of 'customary practice'.These customary practices are used,specifically against women, in order to

exert control over them, discriminateagainst them, infringe upon their basicrights and to manipulate them. These'practices' are also constantly acceptednot just by the society but have alsobeen known to be condoned by the so-called leaders who claim that suchcrimes, along with many others are 'cus-tomary practices' and should not becriminalised. The law has also constant-ly been manipulated to overlook thesepractices as 'crimes' and thereforeallowing perpetrators to go free.

The biggest success of the passage ofthis legislation through the NationalAssembly is that there is an acceptanceby the elected representatives and sup-posed leaders of the country that crimescommitted against women under theguise of 'customary practices' are inactuality crimes. This is the first steptowards a social prohibition and repul-sion of these abhorrent crimes.

What is necessary is for the Senate toalso pass the Bill within 90 days ofhaving been passed by the NationalAssembly. It is only then that this Billwill become the law of the land and theGovernment and members of theSenate will show their true commit-ment to the women's cause andtowards the elimination of discrimina-tion against women.

A critical appreciation of the Prevention of Anti-WomenPractices (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill 2011

Donya Aziz's Private Members Bill receives unanimous support from National Assembly

AF Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Civil societyactivists, senior lawyers and womenparliamentarians showered praise onDr. Donya Aziz, Member NationalAssembly from PML-Q for her initia-tive in moving and pushing herPrivate Members Bill to a resoundingsuccess in the National Assembly toend customary practices againstwomen in Pakistan. They describedthe passage of the Bill as a landmarkevent and an historic achievement inthe interest of women.

Aurat Foundation's LegislativeWatch Programme for Women'sEmpowerment organized the recep-tion ceremony to share informationand the joy on the 'Passage of the'Prevention of Anti-Women Practices(Criminal Law Amendment) Bill,2011, and Way Forward' onThursday, 17 November 2011, atIslamabad.

Dr Donya Aziz, being the prime

mover of the Bill was the Chief Guestand Ms Anis Haroon, Chairperson,National Commission on the Statusof Women presided over the function.The panel of speakers includedSenator Nilofar Bakhtiar, Ms TahiraAbdullah, Ms Samar Minallah, MsRehana Hashmi and Naeem Mirza,Chif Operating Officer, AuratFoundation. All the speakers con-gratulated Dr Donya Aziz for bring-ing the bill and getting it passed fromthe National Assembly.

Dr Donya Aziz, while giving herremarks and responding to variouscomments and concerns raised by thespeakers, said that all supporters ofthe Bill in the National Assembly andmembers of the concerned StandingCommittee, as well as, her senior col-leagues in PML-Q deserved appreci-ation for this achievement as withouttheir support it would have not beenpossible.

"We faced a lot of resistance at vari-

The Bill commended as landmark achievement

A BILL

to prohibit certain practices lead-ing to exploitation and discrimi-nation against womenfolk WHEREAS it is expedient toprovide for prohibition of certainpractices leading to exploitationand discrimination against wom-enfolk; AND WHEREAS it is necessaryto clarify the ambiguities createdby misinterpretation of certainlegal provisions;

MNA Dr Donya Aziz addressing a reception given in her honour by AuratFoundation in Islamabad.

2. Substitution of section 310A, ActXLV of 1860.- In the Pakistan PenalCode (Act XLV of 1860), hereinafterreferred to as the Code, in ChapterXVI, for section 310A, the followingshall be substituted, namely:- "310-A. Punishment for giving afemale in marriage or otherwise inbadla-e-sulh, wanni or swara.-Whoever gives a female in marriageor otherwise compels her to enter intomarriage, as badal-e-sulh, wanni, orswara or any other custom or practiceunder any name, in consideration ofsettling a civil dispute or a criminalliability, shall be punished withimprisonment of either descriptionfor a term which may extend to sevenyears but shall not be less than threeyears and shall also be liable to fineof five hundred thousand rupees."

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Explanation:

The provision extends the section toinclude punishment for giving a femalein wanni or swara, apart from thealready existing badla-e-sulh.

The provision can essentially be bro-ken down into the different essentialfeatures required for a commission of acrime under the proposed section.

There is a pre-requisite of an existenceof a civil dispute or a criminal dispute.The mens rea is quite restrictive as itrequires that a female will be given inmarriage for the sole purpose of set-tling a civil dispute or a criminal liabil-ity. If a female is not given for this pur-pose, it will not fall under this section.

The provision also applies primarily tothose who 'give' the female in marriagei.e. usually the family of the female. Itdoes not necessarily penalize the otherparties involved i.e. the ones who facil-itate the marriage, the witnesses, otherfamily members and most importantly,the bridegroom and his family i.e.those on the receiving end of the bar-gain.

However, in certain situations, depend-ing on the individual circumstances ofthe case, any person who may have'compelled' the female into such a mar-riage will fall under the section.

The Black's Law Dictionary, EighthEdition defines 'compel' as: "To cause or bring about by force,threats or overwhelming pressure"This force, threat of pressure may beapplied by any person, not necessarilya member of the female's family. It canbe both direct and indirect and caninclude the bridegroom or members ofthe bridegroom's family, village orfamily elders etc as the persons punish-able under this section for 'compelling'the female into such a marriage.

The biggest issue with the section lieswith its lack of definition. By notdefining 'wani', 'swara' or even 'cus-tom' or practice', therein lies a loophole in criminal law. General defini-tions may be used but the courts mayremain reluctant to include certain actsto fall within this section, thereby con-tinuing to give perpetrators immunityby refusing to define their actions as acrime under this act.

Such marriages have also not beendeclared void or voidable. It is alsonecessary that women and children insuch marriages must be providedmandatory maintenance and compen-satory costs depending on the period ofmarriage.

Criminal law also provides that in situ-

ations where there is even a little doubtas to whether an act falls within thedefinition of the crime under a certainsection, the decision will be made infavour of the accused. Due to therestrictive nature of the section and thelack of definition, there is danger thatfew convictions will be made underthis section.

Explanation:

Section 498A deals with the issue ofdepriving a woman from inheritingproperty. Essentially, this section ismeant to provide protection to womenfrom having her inheritance takenaway from her.

The use of the words 'deceitful' and'illegal' make the section restrictive.This means any act done under differ-ent circumstances e.g. duress, emo-tional blackmail will be exempt.Therefore in situations where thewoman may be compelled to give upher share due to emotional blackmail,pressure from the family or any otherform of compelling her to do so, butwhich does not involve 'deception' or'illegality', would not fall within thepurview of this section. It would per-

haps have been more effective to sim-ply state that a woman is not to bedeprived of her inheritance by anymeans whatsoever.

Further the use of the term 'opening ofsuccession' may result to some confu-sion. Logically, the intention of thelegislation was from the moment whenthe female becomes entitled to herinheritance i.e. immediately upon thedeath of the person from who sheinherits. However, certain judges andcourts who may be more interested installing the proceedings may insist onthis term meaning from the moment anapplication for succession and inheri-tance is filed.

While the intention of this section ispositive, there are questions as to howto implement it effectively, even by thefemale's lawyers. Also, a restoration ofthe right of a female to inherit must behighlighted.

Section 498B deals with forced mar-riages. In essence, this section canvalidly include the provisions ofSection 310A. Black's LawDictionary, Eighth Edition defines'coerce' as:"To compel by force or threat"As the section is not restrictive, anyperson playing a part on the com-pelling or coercing of the female canbe held accountable under this section.

In essence, the section deals with all dif-ferent forms of forced marriages for allpurposes, whether it relates to child mar-riages, marriages for purposes of land,for settlement of disputes, for purposesof forced conversion etc. It is importantto note that no pre-requisites are therefor filing a case under this section apartfrom the 'compelling' and 'coercing'.

One issue that may arise is that themaximum sentence in this section in10 years, while in Section 310A, themaximum sentence is 7 years. Thismay result in applications underSection 310A as opposed to this sec-tion as the chances for a shorter pun-ishments increase in the aforemen-tioned section.

Another major issue is that this sectionmay provide a punishment for thoseinvolved, but it does not declare themarriage void or voidable, nor does itprovide protection for the female, eventerms of monetary compensation ormaintenance of the female dependingon the period of marriage. Demandinga 'khula' is not enough of an answer.By declaring the marriage void or evenvoidable, allows the woman the digni-ty to admit that this was not a 'mar-riage' as a 'marriage' is only valid andlegal by consent of the bride.

Section 498C covers the very commonissue of marrying a woman to the

Quran, usually for property reasons i.e.to keep the female's land inheritancewithin the family i.e. not to lose any'family' property due to marriage to anoutsider.

This is a serious issue and a furtherdefinition of 'marriage to the Quran'has been provided. Reporting or imple-mentation under this section will mostlikely be negligent but it is hoped thatthe Government and Judiciary willtake the initiative to implement thislaw in its true spirit.

Explanation:

This section takes away the power ofthe Provincial Government to interferewith sentences under this Bill. The dif-ferent forms of interference have beendefined in the Black's Law Dictionary,Eighth Edition as:

Suspend

"To interrupt; post pone; defer; Totemporarily keep (a person) from per-forming a function, occupying anoffice, holding a hob or exercising aright or privilege."

Remit

"To pardon or forgive; To abate orslacken, to mitigate; To refer (a matterfor decision) to some authority, espe-cially to send back (a case) to a lowercourt." Despite the devolution of pow-ers to the Provincial Governments, thisposition has been maintained. It isimportant to realize that this meansthat the Federal Government recog-nizes that these crimes are of a nation-al nature and deserve this recognitionand importance.

Another reason for this section is thatthe Provincial Governments remainsusceptible to influences within theProvinces to exercise their powers andlet free or reduce convicted felons.This observation is based on historyand experience of the judicial systemsof the provinces. This section is specif-ically designed to meet this challengeand is much welcomed.

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3. Insertion of new Chapter XXA,Act XLV of 1860.- In the Code, afterChapter XX, the following newChapter shall be inserted, namely:- "Chapter XXA Offences againstWomen 498A. Prohibition of deprivingwoman from inheriting properly.-Whoever by deceitful or, illegalmeans deprives any woman frominheriting any movable or immov-able property at the time of openingof succession shall be punished withimprisonment for either descriptionfor a term which may extend to tenyears but not be less than five yearsor with a fine of one million rupees orboth. 498B. Prohibition of forced mar-riage.- Whoever coerces or in anymanner whatsoever compels awoman to enter into marriage shallbe punished with imprisonment ofeither description for a term, whichmay extend to ten years or for a termwhich shall not be less than threeyears and shall also be liable to fineof five hundred thousand rupees. 498C. Prohibition of marriage withthe Holy Quran.- Whoever compelsor arranges or facilitates the marriageof a woman with the Holy Quranshall be punished with imprisonmentof either description which mayextend to seven years which shall notbe less than three years and shall beliable to fine of five hundred thou-sand rupees. Explanation.- Oath by a women onHoly Quran to remain un-married forthe rest of her life or, not to claim hershare of inheritance shall be deemedto be marriage with the Holy Quran."

A critical appreciation of the Prevention of Anti-WomenPractices (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill 2011

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4. Insertion of new section 402D,Act V of 1898.- In the Code ofCriminal Procedure (Act V of 1898),hereinafter referred to as the saidCode, after section 402C, the follow-ing new section shall be inserted,namely:- "402D. Provincial Government notto interfere in sentences of rape.-Notwithstanding anything containedin sections 401, 402 or 402B, theProvincial Government shall not sus-pend, remit or commute any sentencepassed under section 376 of thePakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of1860)."

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Explanation:

The 2011 legislation does not providefor any special methods of reportingcrimes falling within the definitions of

this legislation. Therefore, the existinggeneral provisions and procedures ofthe criminal legal system of Pakistanwill apply. This may be problematicgiven the slow, delayed and tedious

nature of Pakistani criminal law sys-tem. The issues identified under thislegislation are often immediate and itwould be welcomed to make any spe-cific procedures and a timeline whilstdealing with such cases.

The changes made in the table evi-dence that all the crimes in this sectionare non-bailable and not compound-able. This means that the accused shallnot be allowed out on bail. The Black'sLaw Dictionary, Eighth Editiondefines 'compound' as:

"To settle a matter especially a debt, bya money payment in lieu of other lia-bility to adjust by agreement; To agreefor consideration not to prosecute (acrime)".This means that the crime cannot becompromised on the payment ofmoney. This is a highly welcomedaddition to the law. Often cases involv-ing women result in the perpetratorspaying money for the non-prosecutionor withdrawl of the case at hand.

Conclusion

It is important to realize that the workwith regards to this legislation is notdone yet. It is necessary for theseinvolved Parliamentarians and mem-bers of the women's movement to startlobbying with the Senate in order toensure the passage of this Bill and notallow it to lapse as other critical Billshave been allowed to do in the past,

such as the Domestic Violence Bill2009.

Once the law has been promulgated, itmay be necessary to introduce a set ofrules into the Assembly which may beable to provide amendments to theexisting gaps in the legislation.

There are many opponents to the Bill,which highlight its shortcomings andtalk about difficulty of implementa-tion. However, it must be reiteratedthat the very recognition given to thecriminality of these acts by theNational Assembly is a great socialvictory. The passage of the law throughthe Senate would be a legal victory.The questions and worries related toimplementation are a nationwide issuewith almost any law, especially withthose involving women. However,problems with implementation do notmean that the law should not bepassed. In fact, it means that it is essen-tial for the law to be passed in order toallow us to work on its proper andtransparent implementation.

In the meantime, this great victory andthe work and dedication of the womenParliamentarians, their male supportersinvolved and activists of the women'smovement must be applauded but witha realization that much work remainsto be done.� The author is a practic-ing lawyer and legal consultant onwomen�s legal rights and internation-al instruments.

ous stages from several quarters, butthe fact that everyone supported it inthe end should be considered as a seachange in the mindset of the electedrepresentatives of people. This is apositive sign," Dr Donya Aziz said.She said though everyone had sup-ported it, she would like to dedicatethis success to the women's rightsactivists because they began thestruggle for these objectives a longtime ago, when she was in kinder-garten.

She said that any amendment proposedby the Senators or concerned civil soci-ety organizations should be welcome.However, the Bill should be approvedfrom the Senate in its present form toavoid any hindrance. "Once it becomeslaw, amendments could be moved inthe law for making it a perfect piece oflegislation," she said.

Ms Anis Haroon, Chairperson,National Commission on the Status ofWomen (NCSW), appreciated thepassage of the bill as a landmarkachievement towards women'sempowerment. She said that the billwould also result in ending the vio-lence against women. Women's rightsorganizations and committed activists

have been struggling for decades tohave this kind of legislation. Sheoffered her full support in getting itpassed from the Senate.

Senator Nilofar Bakhtiar, in heraddress, gave her commitment thatshe would not only fully support thepassage of the bill from the Senate butwould also create a support base in theSenate for its passage. Responding tothe opinion form some speakers thatthe loopholes in the bill shall beremoved in the Senate, she suggestedthat if the bill is further amended inthe Senate then it will have to be sentto the joint sitting of the Parliament tobe passed again which would furtherdelay the passage of the bill.

Ms Tahira Abdullah, a renownedhuman rights activist, while analyz-ing the bill pointed out that althoughthe passage of the bill was apprecia-ble but still there were some loop-holes which should be addressedwhen the bill would be presented inthe Senate. She said that in column 8of the schedule II, Act V of 1898 'or'should be replaced with 'and' to makeit effective. She also expressed con-cern whether magistrate of first class

as magistrate would have the authori-ty to fine the culprits with ceilingsgiven in the bill.

Ms Samar Minalah, a prominenthuman rights activist and a film-maker, while giving her opinion onthe passage of the bill, said that whenthe bill will be presented in theSenate, it would be important if'sung-chati', a kind of marriage simi-lar to 'swara' and 'vani', shall also beadded in the bill as liable to punish-ment.

Ms Rehana Hashmi, ExecutiveDirector, Sisters Trust, appreciatedthe government for supporting thebill and giving importance towomen's rights issues. She also saidthat the government now has respon-sibility to get the bill passed from theSenate as well. She said that the gov-ernment and the courts also need todevise a strategy for its smooth andjust implementation.

Mr Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Advocate,said that 'wanni and Swara' have notbeen defined in any law (PPC & thisbill), therefore, it would have beenideal if these would have been

defined here. Referring to Section498A he said that the women who hadbeen deprived from her property/suc-cession must be given back her rightsor property after determination of herlegal heirship simultaneously at thetime of the decision of the court underthis law.

He further said that under section498B the person who arranged, facil-itated the forced marriage must beincluded to cover the witnesses e.g.the Nikah Registrar and the forcedmarriage must be declared null andvoid. Any victim/women or childshall be entitled to take maintenanceor other rights regarding the period ofmarriage, he said.

Earlier Mr Naeem Mirza, ChiefOperating Officer of AuratFoundation, said that the civil societyand women's rights organizations andactivists are concerned that the ballwas now in the Senate, where twoimportant women's rights bills hadalready been stalled in the recent past."We all hope that the Senate will passthis bill to make it an act. If theSenate blocks the bill, the civil socie-ty would have no other option exceptto give 'dharna' (sit-in) in front of theParliament House.

The Bill commended

A critical appreciation of the Prevention of Anti-WomenPractices (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill 2011

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AF Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Women parliamentar-ians and party leaders from acrosspolitical parties have agreed to buildconsensus among their respectivepolitical parties to provide a minimumof 10 per cent quota for women onwinnable general seats before the nextelections. The demand came from thewomen parliamentarians in the form ofa declaration at the conclusion of aroundtable on "Strengtheningwomen`s representation in politicaland legislative process" organised bythe Women Parliamentary Caucus(WPC) on 29 September 2011 here.

A declaration issued by the WPC at theend of the conference urged the partyleaders and members Parliament to ini-tiate a dialogue with political partieson the different ways to strengtheningwomen s representation in legislativeassemblies.

The parties represented were PPP,PML-N, ANP, PML-Q, MQM, PPP(Sherpao), BNP, PML-F. Senior office-bearers of parliamentary political par-ties and members of the national andall four provincial assemblies includ-ing MNA Yasmeen Rehman, SecretaryGeneral ANP, Ehsan Wyne, MNABushra Gauhar, MNA Asiya Nasir,MNA Tasneem Siddiqui, Women WingPresident PML-Q Farrukh Khan,MNA Ahsan Iqbal, MNA NushatSadiq, MNA Ghazala Gola WomenMinister Balochistan, Deputy SpeakerAJK, Senator Saeeda Iqbal, SenatorFarah Aqil, Shaheen Dar, ShamaMithani MPA, MPA Nargis Faiz,MPAs from Gilgit-Baltistan and AJKparticipated in the dialogue. DeputyChairman Senate, Mir Jan M Jamaliwas the chief guest on the occasion.

In his address, Mir Jan M Jamali high-lighted the meaningful role womenhave played in the legislative business.He strongly admitted the nexusbetween sustainable developments andthe role of women at the political anddecision-making, and strongly recom-mended the need to give a minimum of

33 per cent women s representation inthe legislative assemblies.

MNA Nafisa Shah and WPC secretarygeneral, in her opening remarksreferred to the outstanding and proac-tive performance of the women legisla-

tors in legislative business in the recentyears and recognised Speaker FehmidaMirza s role, and recommended thatthe political parties to review the exist-ing special measures for women s par-

ticipation in the legislatures making itmore transparent, effective, andempowering for women in politics.

The parliamentarians across party linescommitted further to protect and pre-serve the provision of reserved seats for

women in the National Assembly,Senate and the Provincial Assemblies,and further committed to enhancing andstrengthening women s representationin legislatures by working within our

respective political parties to increasewomen s representation at all levels ofdecision making in the political forums.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan IqbalSecretary General Pakistan MuslimLeague (Nawaz) said Political PartyAct should be amended and recom-mended that one-third women partici-pation should be made mandatory ineach political party for general seats.

He said five major challenges that hin-der women from taking part into main-stream politics include economic par-ticipation, educational attainment andachievement, feminisation of povertyand health, political empowerment andsocial dignity and lack of access to jus-tice.

Member National Assembly YasmeenRehman representing PakistanPeoples' Party (PPP) said first primeminister, speaker National Assemblyand deputy speaker provincial assem-bly hails from PPP, which shows clearmanifesto of the party to promote andempower women. Haider Abbas Rizvifrom Muttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM) suggested that for increasingnumber of women in Senate, theyshould be considered for seats of tech-nocrats.

Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, representingPakistan People s Party Sherpao(PPPP) said that women parliamentar-ians on reserved seats should betrained and groomed. She also urgedfor allotting cabinet slot to womenelected on reserved seats and fundsshould be reserved for them.

Officials from the ElectionCommission of Pakistan, representa-tives from civil society organizations,including Mr Naeem Mirza and DrFarzana Bari, made presentations ondifferent aspects of the laws relating toparticipation in elections, quota sys-tems around the world and best prac-tices, as well as various electionmodalities available to make the pres-ent provisions on women's reservedseats more effective.

Parliamentarians reach consensus on 10% partytickets for women on winnable general seats

Participants from across political parties, legislatures, governments and civil society in a group photo during the the roundtable conference of (WPC) in Islamabad.

We, the Women Parliamentarians Members of Provincial Assemblies ofBalochistan, Khyber - Pakhtoon Khwa, Punjab, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, andAzad Jammu and Kashmir, and representatives of political parties, participat-ing in the one day Roundtable Conference on the "Strengthening Women'sRepresentation in Political and Legislative Process", organized by the WomenParliamentary Caucus held in Islamabad on Thursday, September 29th 2011,hereby adopt the following Declaration on this day of the September 29th 2011:Recalling that: The Constitution of Pakistan provides women equal rights,rejects all forms of discrimination and promotes their full participation in pub-lic life under Articles 25, 34, 35 and 37.Further Recalling that: The National and International Commitments ofGovernment of Pakistan including the National Policy for the Developmentand Empowerment of Women (NPDEW) 2002, Convention on Elimination ofAll kinds of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and InternationalCovenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), underscore attainment equalopportunities for women in the public and political spheres as inextricablylinked to human rights, democracy and inclusive sustainable development andhuman security.Paying tribute to: All the women leaders of Pakistan particularly FatimaJinnah, Rana Liaqaut Ali and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto whosecourage and exemplary contributions in public and political life have greatlyinspired, built a sense of confidence and empowered the women of Pakistan.Recognizing: The 17 per cent reservation for women in the assemblies and 17seats in the Senate provided for in Articles 51 and 59 of the Constitution is asignificant step in empowerment of women in politics;Acknowledging: the outstanding performance of the Women Parliamentariansand members of the provincial assemblies in the legislative business in therecent years demonstrates and recognizes the meaningful role of women in leg-islatures and has further strengthened democracy in Pakistan,We, Women Parliamentarians and Political Party Representatives in thisRoundtable Conference, resolve the following: Commit to protect and preserve the provision of reserved seats for women inthe National Assembly, Senate and the Provincial Assemblies; Further commit to enhancing and strengthening women's representation inlegislatures by working within our respective political parties and elected rep-resentatives and examining how the systems of elections to the reserved seatscould be made more democratic and transparent; And that women are repre-sented at all levels of decision-making in political forums; Build consensus among the political parties to amend the Political Parties Actso as to provide mandatory quota of 10 per cent of winnable general seats towomen to mainstream them in electoral processes before the next elections.

WPC DECLARATION

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Legislative Watch is produced by the ResourceService of the Legislative Watch Programme forWomen�s Empowerment of Aurat Publication andInformation Service Foundation at Islamabad.

Advisory Board: I.A. Rehman, Tahira Abdullah, Naeem Mirza

Editorial BoardWasim Wagha, Sarwat Wazir

Letters, opinions and contributions are welcome.Please write to House 12, Street 12, F-7/2, IslamabadTel: (051) 2608956-8, Fax: (051) 2608955Email: lwprs@af.org.pk Website: www.af.org.pk Layout & design by: Kashif Gulzar

Printing funded by: MFA, Norway

The sitting National Assembly passed four legisla-tive bills of crucial importance to ensure women'sempowerment. These were 'Domestic Violence(Prevention and Protection) Act, 2009', 'ProtectionAgainst Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill,2010', 'Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention(Amendment) Bill, 2010', and recently passedNational Assembly 'Prevention of Anti-WomenPractices (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill, 2011'.Out of the four, only one, the 'Protection AgainstHarassment of Women at Workplace Bill, 2010'became a law, whereas two of the remaining threewere either blocked or lapsed in the Upper Houseof the Parliament, the Senate of Pakistan. TheDomestic Violence Bill lapsed after the Senatefailed to pass it within the three months period stip-ulated by the Constitution. It was supposed to bere-tabled in both of the Houses after gettingthrough the Mediation Committee. But this was apre-18th Constitutional Amendment scenario.

According to the 18th Amendment, the lapsed billsand disputed and unresolved matters need to go tothe joint session of the Parliament. This feature ofthe amendment has created a potential hurdle in thesmooth law-making process hitherto going, partic-ularly if the prospective legislation is related towomen's rights issues, because summoning andholding a joint session of the Parliament seems tobe not an easy task. Another unrealistic dimensionof this constitutional requirement is that if anyamendment is introduced by any House of theParliament to any bill passed by the other House, itwould also have to return and sent to the joint sit-ting of the Parliament. It means that practicallyeither of the Houses cannot undertake any improve-ment of any bill which comes across it after duepassage by the other, because that would be riskingfor an option of the convening of joint session ofthe Parliament, which no one would like.

Will the 'Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill,2011', recently passed by the National Assemblyunanimously face the same fate as meted out by theDVB or prudence will prevail and the honourableSenators would listen to the unheard voices of thou-sands of those women, who are deprived of theirlawful right of inheritance in the name of so-calledcustoms or traditions in the families or see the suf-ferings of those who are condemned to 'forced mar-riages' and sold in the name of wanni or swara.Already protesting the blockage of two importantpieces of legislation in the Upper House, the civilsociety organizations and human rights activistsexpect a different and gender-sensitive responseand hope that sanity would prevail in the Senate.

EDITORIAL

ISLAMABAD: Women's Parliamentary Caucus(WPC) paid tribute to the rural women around theworld while recognizing their great role in promot-ing rural economy and ensuring food security, on theoccasion of Pakistan's national and InternationalRural Women's Day on 15 the October 2011.

The WPC said in a statement that" Rural Women'sDay is a very special day for all the women and menaround the world, as it reminds us of the critical rolerural women play in securing food for all and allevi-ating poverty. It is, therefore, a day that acknowl-edges how women remain a major factor in the sus-tainable development and growth of their respectivevillages, their country and ultimately the world atlarge".

Comprising more than half the women population, itis unfortunate that the rural women around the worldremain severely disadvantaged themselves. Theiraccess to financial services, agricultural extension,education, health care and human rights are general-ly overlooked. Despite the significant contributionthey make in food production and management ofnatural resources, their land ownership and access toproductive resources including their access to credit,technical assistance and participation remains amajor impediment in their prosperity. In Pakistan,unfortunately, despite women's legal rights to ownand inherit property from their families, very fewwomen have access and control over these resourceson account of the traditional mindsets.

Being essentially an agricultural country, Pakistangreatly values the critical role its rural women con-tinue to play in its development. In recognition oftheir contribution, the Prime Minister of Pakistan in2010 declared the International Women's day as the"National" Rural Women's day.

The Women's Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) is mind-ful of the poor socio economic status of the ruralwomen in Pakistan. The WPC is endeavoringtowards improving the state of women in the coun-try by introducing women friendly legislation andpolicies that could provide conducive work environ-ment and access to productive resources and oppor-tunities at all levels for the women across the board.This includes improving and ensuring their landownership rights, their health care facilities, literacy,economic well being, and their access to water andsanitation.

The devastations caused by the floods of 2010 andthe 2011, have severely impacted the economic andsocial status of the rural women. The ultimatebrunt of the unprecedented damage caused to thelife, property, livestock, and crops, especially inSindh has been on the rural women who have losteverything and remain the poorest of the poor. TheWPC forum is in the process of lobbying forreviewing the Rural Development Policy that willensure that the affected women are adequatelycompensated and the implementation of their landrights are ensured.

Rural women are backbone of economy

AF Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Aurat Foundation's Policy DataMonitor-Violence Against Women (PDM)Programme has observed sharp increase in thereported cases of violence against women duringJanuary to June, 2011, as compared to the same timeperiod last year. The statistics revealed by the organ-ization with heavy heart, show that a total of 4448cases of VAW were reported during January toJune, 2011, as compared to 4061 reported duringsame period in year 2010.

Out of the total 4448 cases of VAW during first sixmonths of the current year, 3035 cases were report-ed from Punjab, 819 from Sindh, 389 from KhyberPakhtunkhwa and 133 from Balochistan, whereas 72cases were reported from Islamabad CapitalTerritory (ICT).

Abduction and kidnapping topped the list of vio-lence against women with 1137 cases reported inonly six months of the current year. Murder ofwomen for various reasons (including property dis-pute, men going for more marriages etc, but notincluding the 'honour' crime) was the second largestcrimes with 799 number of women murdered duringthe reported period. Rape/gang-rape were the thirdlargest category with 396 cases reported. Increasein committing suicide among youth, was anotheralarming factor which indicated the violent environ-ment women of the country live in - During thereporting period, 402 precious lives were lost as theykilled themselves.

Contrary to overall increase in reported cases of vio-lence against women in the country, the number ofreported cases in Sindh province show a decline inviolence against women, compared to the figurescomposed last year. This might be due to fact that

print media put on its priority the coverage of lawand order situation in Sindh during the reportingperiod. Compared to last year's figure of 940 cases,this year, during the same period, i.e. January to June2011, 819 incidents of violence against women werereported in 23 districts of Sindh.

By sharing this data with the media and concernedinstitutions, Aurat Foundation also expresses itscommitment to shape a society composed for 'ZeroTolerance to violence against women' in Pakistan.The data was gathered and compiled from the news-papers from all regions and languages.

As compiled, out of a total of 4448 cases of violenceagainst women in Pakistan, there were:

1137 cases of abduction/kidnapping:799 cases of murder:396 cases of rape/gang-rape:402 cases of suicide:382 cases of 'honour' killing:356 cases of domestic violence:57 cases of sexual assault:16 cases of stove burning:22 cases of acid throwing: 881 cases of violence were of miscellaneousnature: (vanni/swara, custodial violence, torture,trafficking, child marriages, incest, threat to vio-lence, sexual harassment, attempted murder, landEncroaching, harassment at workplace) in the fourprovinces and in Islamabad.

The number and percentage of the cases of abduc-tion/kidnapping is the highest i.e. 1137 with a veryhigh percentage of 25.7%. Murder, the second high-est offence reaches about 17.56% of the totaloffences. However, the menace of suicide seems tohave taken over the youth and reaches up to 9.04%of the total cases with 400 victims losing their lives.

Incidents of violence against womenin Pakistan show sharp increase

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By Dr Masuma Hasan

Being a widow is not a stigma inPakistan either in religion or under thelaw. Marriage in Islam, which is thereligion followed by the majority ofthe population, is not considered assacrosanct. It is viewed as a civil con-tract between two individuals whichcan be dissolved. Thus the extremesanctity attached to marriage in certainother religions does not operate to turna widow into an outcast or be heldresponsible for her husband's death.Traditionally, widows have beenencouraged to re-marry and marriageto a widow has always been consideredas an honourable act.

According to the latest Census (1998),in a population of 132.4 million, therewere 2.7 million widows in the femalepopulation of 69 million. The largestnumber, 442,179, were found in theage bracket 75 years and above, fol-lowed by 416,773 in ages 60 to 64years, and 326,176 between 50 to 54years. However, Pakistan's populationin 2010 is estimated at over 170 mil-lion so the number of widows has alsoincreased.

Supportive influences

The law of the land, as embodied in theConstitution of 1973, and all previousconstitutions, does not discriminatebetween the rights of women and men.The Constitution guarantees equalrights to both and rules out discrimina-tion on the basis of sex. It empowersthe State to make special laws for theprotection of women and children andtake steps to ensure the full participa-tion of women in all spheres of nation-al life and protect the marriage, thefamily, the mother and the child.

A widow inherits one-fourth of herhusband's property if she has no chil-dren, and one-eighth of his property ifshe has children. The Government hasmade humane provisions for the wid-ows of its employees. After the deathof a Government employee, his widowreceives the family pension until herown death. Widows of lower paidemployees also receive a one-timegrant for rehabilitation from the offi-cial Benevolent Fund. In the privatesector, which works for profit, thereare no universal rules governing sup-port for widows of deceased employ-ees, but given the culture of philan-thropy, some short-term provision isprobably made.

Since 1980, an officially administeredzakat system has been operating inPakistan. Zakat is a tax levied onMuslims at the rate of 2.5 per cent on11 categories of assets. These funds areused for the benefit of widows,orphans and other needy persons andfor those rendered homeless by naturalcalamities. They are collected by theState and their disbursement has been

made the responsibility of theprovinces through the provincial zakatcommittees. These committees operatedown to the community level and dis-burse guzara (sustenance) allowanceof which widows are also beneficiar-ies. Pakistan Baitul Mal (StateTreasury), established in 1992, pro-vides financial assistance to widows,orphans, destitute and sick persons,and for welfare projects including edu-cation, health care and self-employ-ment schemes. The Government hasissued special saving certificates forwidows, pensioners and senior citi-zens. It has also set up the First WomenBank to encourage women to save andinvest and Khushali Bank which oper-ates micro-credit schemes, and manyof whose clients are women.

Pakistan has one of the highest levelsof private social investment (philan-thropy) in the world. It has been esti-mated that 100-120 billion rupees aredonated privately every year for wel-fare, which amounts to 2 per cent ofPakistan's GDP. This sum is remark-able because Pakistan is a poor coun-try. The volunteering rate in Pakistan istwice that of the global average.Traditionally, supporting widows andorphans, who are the beneficiaries ofphilanthropy, has been viewed as actsof piety.

There are great regional and class dis-parities in the status of women inPakistan and, therefore, also in thecondition of widows. In the last two tothree decades, women have made aremarkable appearance on the eco-nomic and political scene. One indica-tion of self-reliance among them,including widows, is the growing num-ber of women- headed households. Inthe urban areas, women headed house-holds have multiplied because of theexpanding informal sector in which themajority of women work and con-tribute.

Urbanisation and the spread of femaleeducation have given more space andopportunities to single women, includ-ing widows, to survive and find liveli-hoods. Urbanisation has broken downmany barriers. According to thePakistan Economic Survey 2009-10,Pakistan is the most urbanised countryin South Asia, with an urban popula-tion of 36 per cent. However, based onother development indicators, expertsplace this figure at well over 40 percent.

The overall female literacy rate (10years and above) in the 1998 Censuswas 32 per cent and is estimated offi-cially at 45 per cent at present. Thereare large differences in female literacybetween the urban and rural areas. In amega city like Karachi (now estimatedat 16 million) there is not much differ-ence between female and male (bothabove 70 per cent) literacy ratesbetween the ages of 15 and 24. On the

other hand, there are immense regionaldisparities in female literacy andaccess to education opportunities.However, female enrolment at all lev-els of education is one of the fastestgrowing development indicators.

Negative factors

In spite of the positive elements in thelegal and constitutional parametersdescribed above, widowhood is a con-dition of extreme distress for women inPakistan. To use a local metaphor,when a woman becomes a widow, shefeels as if the protective chadar fromher head has been removed and the sta-tus of dependence has been thrust uponher. Most of the problems of survivalwhich widows face are linked topoverty and two-thirds of the poor livein the rural areas. Poor women, who donot possess land and productive assets,live out the rest of their lives on thefringes of existence. Those who dopossess assets can be exploited by thestrong male culture, especially in therural areas. They are also the victims ofsocial and cultural prejudice andabuse.

Successive governments have notaddressed the problems of widowsspecifically and no special policy ini-tiatives have been taken to amelioratetheir condition. The concern for wid-ows falls within the context of con-cerns about women in general.Legislation discriminatory to women,introduced in the 1980s, had strength-ened the hands of conservative forcesand eroded the atmosphere of toler-ance. Women's and citizens' rightsactivists, as well as professional organ-isations, have campaigned forcefullyfor the repeal of these laws.

The ability of widows to survive inde-pendently and seek livelihoodsdepends on the level of social and eco-nomic development in the regionwhere they live, although there arealways some trail blazers. Educationbrings confidence, but perhaps themost important element is the avail-ability of safe and affordable transportto facilitate the widow's journey out ofthe protection of her home.

Single women, including widows, takecharge of their families and dependentsbecause of male migration, divorce,desertion, and the deaths of husbandscaused by war, calamities and naturalcauses. Those who do not own landand productive assets may not haveaccess to credit facilities or possess theskills to earn their own livelihood.Many community based organisationshave long realised that women needvery small amounts as loans, not tiedto collateral, in order to start survivalenterprises. Scores of such organisa-tions throughout Pakistan now providethese small amounts. Poverty still pre-vents the poorest of the poor fromaccessing the facilities available in for-

mal institutions like First Women Bankand Khushali Bank.

Women, including widows, do not getfair remuneration as wages either,although women's rights organisationshave lobbied for the reflection of theirwork in the formal workforce. In therural areas, they spend long hours incrop and livestock production and inpost harvest activities. However, theircontrol over access to land, agricultur-al inputs, technology and support serv-ices such as credit, extension, trainingand markets is limited. In the urbanareas, due to lack of mobility andaccess to markets, they are paid far lessthan counterpart male workers.

Although assessments of the scale ofphilanthropy in Pakistan have takeneveryone by surprise, disbursementand use of the large sums generated israndom and uncoordinated. Most phi-lanthropy takes the form of privatetransfers between individuals. Withsome initiative, utilisation of part ofthe huge amounts donated annuallycan be accorded priorities and chan-nelised formally into specific pro-grammes for the uplift of widows.

Natural calamities

No single event threw up the problemsof widowhood in Pakistan quite as dra-matically as the earthquake of 8October 2005. The earthquake meas-ured 7.6 on the Richter scale andcaused catastrophic damage. Officialestimates placed the number of dead at79,000 but unofficial mortality figureswere as high as 300,000. Most of thecasualties were women and children.Half a million children are said to havebeen orphaned and thousands disabled.It was estimated by the media that66,000 women became widows andfour million people became shelterless.Some women lost not only their hus-bands but also their children, land,homes and livelihoods. Perhaps thegreatest upheaval caused by naturalcalamities is the breakdown of estab-lished social support systems and rela-tionships. Widows who are absorbedby extended families are generally pro-tected but those living alone face newand unknown challenges. Securitybecomes the major problem in theirlives.

Internally displaced persons andthe battle against extremism

Pakistan has been at the centre of thebattle against extremism and violencewhich has lead to death and injury tothousands of its citizens. Women havebecome widows because of the vio-lence perpetrated by extremists in sui-cide attacks and other forms of militan-cy. In Swat Valley, Army actionagainst extremists was preceded by theevacuation of the whole populationand the internally displaced persons

Condition of widows in Pakistan

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(IDPs) were housed, where possible, inmakeshift tent villages. Women, espe-cially widows, and children who couldnot fend for themselves, suffered themost as it was difficult for them tomove around for food, daily necessitiesand health care. The IDPs of SwatValley eventually returned to theirhomes but this pattern of suffering willfollow wherever military action istaken against terrorists.

Supportive legal measures

The growing number of women in par-liament, including the Speaker of theNational Assembly, has been a greatmorale booster for women in Pakistan.Women occupy about 25 per cent (ormore) of the seats in both houses ofparliament, either through reservationof seats or direct elections.

Over the last few years, theGovernment has enacted affirmativelegislation to promote gender equalityand provide protection to women from

which widows also benefit. The Criminal Law (Amendment)Act 2004 against honour killings,which also target widows, was theresult of a long struggle by womenactivists and women parliamentarians.It equates honour killing with murderand institutes penal punishments buthas been criticised by women's groupsbecause it provides for exemptions,waivers and compounding. Protection of Women (CriminalLaw Amendment) Act 2006 was prom-ulgated to amend the Hudood ordi-nances and thereby provide some reliefto women from their arbitrary andunjust provisions. Relief has beengiven to victims of rape and otheroffences but many discriminatoryaspects have been retained. The Criminal Law (Amendment)Act 2009 has criminalized sexualharassment and provides protection towomen against different forms ofharassment including written, verbal

and physical harassment, obscene ges-tures and intrusion of privacy. The lawmakes all these acts of harassment inpublic and private spaces punishableby various terms of imprisonment andfines. The Protection Against Harassmentat the Work Place Act 2010, providesprotection to women from harassmentat their places of employment. Itincludes a wide definition of employ-ees on regular or contractual, daily,weekly, monthly or hourly basis,including interns and apprentices andwill protect women in sectors such asbrick kilns, agriculture, industry, mar-kets and homes. Also, it gives a broaddefinition of employers in the publicand private sectors and clear defini-tions of harassment and the workplace.It lists major and minor penalties.

The bill on acid throwing againstwomen, the Acid Control and AcidCrime Prevention Bill 2009, was

tabled by four women legislators fromdifferent political parties. It is waitingto become law.

Livelihood support

A recent major initiative by theGovernment was launching theBenazir Income Support Programmewhich aims at reducing poverty andempowering women by making themfinancially self-sufficient. In 2009-10,it provided Rupees 70 billion orRupees 1000/- per month to 5 millionfamilies, including widows, to meetbasic necessities or invest in setting upbasic businesses. This programmme isnow multi-dimensional and providesassistance for health insurance andvocational training. It also targets thoseaffected by natural calamities, internal-ly displaced persons, war- affectedfamilies in conflict areas and victimsof bomb blasts and suicide attacks.Widows are beneficiaries of all aspectsof this scheme.�The author is a for-mer Cabinet Secretary and Treasurerof Aurat Foundation.

Condition of widows in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Aurat Foundationorganized a condolence reference onThursday October 27, 2011 to pay trib-ute to Begum Nusrat Bhutto for herstruggle for democracy And women'sempowerment. At the occasion, MsTahira Abdullah reminded the partici-pants Nusrat Bhutto also served as theChairperson of Red Crescent. Her con-tribution as the chairperson of the RedCrescent had gone a long way inimproving the country's image. NaeemMirza, COO, Aurat Foundation, in hisopening remarks, said that BegumNusrat Bhutto stood like a huge wall ofresistance before the Zial-ul-Haq

tyranny and defeated its nefariousdesigns. She failed the dictator's planto eliminate Zulfiqar Ali Bhuttto, ideo-logically and politically. "There is adire need to inform our new generationabout all those heroes and legends whomade sacrifices and big contributionsfor Pakistan like Begum NusratBhutto", said Rakhshinda Parveen.Kishwar Naheed read her poem 'terijasi maa...'to pay tribute to BegumNusrat Bhutto. Other speakers alsoincluded Rehana Hashmi, SenatorBabar Awan, Zamurrad Khan(Chairperson Bait-ul-Maal), SenatorSaeedam Iqbal (PPP), Senator Farhat

Abas Syed (wife of Late Syed QamarAbas), Nargis Faiz Malik (memberNational Assembly and PresidentWomen Wing of Islamabad District,Nasreen Azhar (member NCSW),Senator Begum Surya Amir-ud-Din,Advocate Shah Khawar (farmerDeputy Attorney General of Pakistan)and Marvi Sarmad (human rightsactivist).

KARACHI: Aurat Foundation'sKarachi sent a staff delegation on 25thOctober, 2011, to Naudero to offerFatiha Khawani on the death of BegumNusrat Bhutto. The delegation includ-

ed Mahnaz Rahman, ResidentDirector, Shireen Aijaz, RegionalCoordinator PDM-VAW, RubinaBrohi, Regional Coordinator LWP-WEand Muneezeh Khan Program Officer,M&E GEP. The staff first offeredFatiha Khawani at the tomb of lateNusrat Bhutto at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh.Later they went to Naudero where theymet the President of Pakistan Asif AliZardari and his three children Bilawal,Asifa and Bakhtawar.

LAHORE: Aurat Foundation, Lahoreoffice organized a candle light vigil on26th October, 2011, at Charring Crossnear Punjab Assembly building,Lahore.to remember the Begum NusratBhutto and her struggle for democracyand women's empowerment. The vigilwas also attended by Ms Faiza Malik,MPA-PPP, Abdullah Malik, Advisor tothe Governor Punjab, TasneemChauhdry, General Secretary PPPP andthe members of civil society organiza-tions, women parliamentarians, work-ers of political parties and media..

Life and struggle of Begum Nusrat Bhutto rememberedAF delegation from Karachi office offering Fateha Khawani at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh. ( R ) A view of the candle light vigil for Begaum Nursat Bhutto at Lahore.

From Page 6

Kishwar Naheed, Tahira Abdullah, Nasreen Azhar, Senator Babar Awan, Zamurrad Khan and Senator BegumSurya Amir-ud-Din speaking at the condolence reference in Islamabad.

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Syeda Fiza Batool Gilani, Pakistan's Goodwill Ambassador for Women'sEmpowerment, visited Aurat Foundation office, Islamabad, on 21st October,2011. She was accompanied by Ms Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Advisor to the PrimeMinister on Social Sector, Ms Fauzia Sana, Additional Secretary, Ministry ofForeign Affairs at the Prime Minister's Secretariat, Ms Bushra Ali Zulqarnain,member NCSW, and Ms Gulfreeen Sajid and Ms Tania Khawaja from AfreenNGO. From Aurat Foundation, Mr Naeem Mirza, COO- AF, Mr Younas Khalid,Director SP/FME, Ms Simi Kamal, CoP-GEP, Ms Ibtesam Hassan Qaisrani,Coordinator, NAF-GEP, and four National Coordinators namely Ms NayyarShabana, Ms Rabeea Shah, Mr Asim Malik and Mr Wasim Wagha. and MsBushra Jafar, DCoP-GEP, briefed Syeda Fiza Batool Gilani on various AF pro-grammes, including Gender Equity Programme, and core issues concerningwomen in Pakistan.

Fiza Gilani visits Aurat Foundation

Syeda Fiza Batool Gilani at the Aurat Foundation�s office in Islamabad.

(L-R) Qaiser Bengali, Mahnaz Rahman and Rubina Brohi at the consultation

Legislative Watch Program for Women Empowerment organized a ProvincialConsultation on 'Women and Issues of Food Security and Livelihood' on 14thAugust, 2011, at Marriott Hotel, Karachi. Mr Qaiser Bengali, Economist, &Executive Advisor to Chief Minister, Sindh, said that issues of health, transportand education are equally important and must be paid attention to along with theissues of food security and these issues are basically producing poverty. MahnazRahman, Resident Director Aurat Foundation, Karachi office, shared with theparticipants that Aurat Foundation was the first to take up the issue of womenfarmers which included a conference with hari women.

Women and issues of food security

KARACHI: The Policy and DataMonitoring Program on ViolenceAgainst Women (PDM-VAW) pro-gramme of Aurat Foundation Karachioffice held a provincial consultation todiscuss the future modalities of thedomestic violence bill after the intro-duction of the 18th Amendment. Theconsultation was held on 13thOctober, 2011, at Hotel Marriott. Theconsultation was chaired by theSpeaker of Sindh Assembly Mr NisarAhmed Khuhro. Other prominent leg-islators included Ms Tauqeer Fatima

Bhutto, provincial Minister forWomen Development, and MsSharmeela Farooqi, Advisor to ChiefMinister, Sindh. Ms Anis Haroon,Chairperson National Commission onthe Status of Women (NCSW) wasalso present. The consultation wasorganized in collaboration withNational Commission on Status ofWomen. Ms Shireen Aijaz, RegionalCoordinator PDM- VAW, moderatethe dialogue.

PESHAWAR: A provincial dialogue

on Domestic Violence Bill wasarranged by Aurat Foundation, incollaboration with NationalCommission on the Status of Women(NCSW), on 21st September, 2011,at PC Hotel, Peshawar. MrKaramatullah Chagarmatti, Speaker,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly,presided the meeting and Ms SitaraAyaz, Provincial Minister for SocialWelfare and Women developmentwas the Chief Guest. Legal expertsMs Maliha Zia (consultant) and MsRiffat Butt (from NCSW) gave

detailed presentations on the domes-tic violence bill (DVB). Speaking onthe occasion Ms Anis Haroon,Chairperson NCSW, said that afterthe 18th Amendment, the DVB hasbecome a provincial subject and civilsociety hoped that the provincialgovernment will take this bill up inthe assemblies and get it passed. MsSitara Ayaz Provincial Minister forSocial Welfare and WomenDevelopment said that men MPAswill also be mobilized to support thebill.

DVB draft discussed at provincial consultation meetings

(L-R) Shabina Ayaz, Sitara Ayaz, Karamatullah Chagarmati, Anis Haroonand Zubeida Khatoon at the Peshawar consultation.

Nisar Ahmed Khuhro addressing the consultation in Karachi. (L-R)Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto, Sharmeela Farooqi and Shireen Aijaz.

A group of citizens of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, joined by Insani Haqooq Itehad(IHI) and senior citizens, workers of various political parties, gathered outside theNational Press Club, Islamabad, on August 19, to condemn the brutal and inces-sant target killings in Karachi. The participants said that the situation of Karachineed all the nation to stand up and say 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' - 'WE CANNOT BEAR IT ANY MORE'; 'IF WE LET IT GO ON, THEN WE ARE NOMORE'. The feared that if the violence in Karachi was not stopped, it will spreadto other areas of Pakistan - which means that tomorrow the whole Pakistan willbecome what Karachi is today, if didn't stand up and unite to bring peace.

�Stop killings in Karachi� rally