PA passes women protection bill; Cleric terms it contrary to Islamic Sharia

KARACHI/LAHORE: A prominent cleric in Pakistan termed the "Protection of Women against violence Bill 2015", passed by the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, in contradiction to the Islamic Sharia and criticized the Sharif brothers for allegedly pushing the country towards ‘secularism’.

The bill was adopted by the provincial assembly on Wednesday, making all crimes against the women an offence including domestic violence, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, verbal abuse, stalking, abetment of an offence, and cyber crimes.

According to the new law, a toll-free number (UAN) will also be introduced to receive complaints while a district protection committee will be setup to investigate women’s complaints in this regard.

Reacting to the development, Chief of Jamia Binoria International Mufti Muhammad Naeem said in a statement that the bill was contrary to teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah.

Terming the bill a bid to suppress men at the hands of women, he said violence against women can be controlled by giving them rights allocated for them in the Sharia.

Mufti Naeem strongly opposed the bill and expressed his concerns over it calling it a ‘tragedy’.

“Rulers under their mental slavery of the West are forgetting their social values also,” he remarked in the statement.  

According to the new bill, protection officers will be liable to inform the defendant whenever a complaint is received. Offering resistance to the protection officers will be punishable by up to six months imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs500,000.

Special Centers will also be set up for reconciliation and resolution of disputes concerning women.

Violence against women has been criminalized in Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) which is a federal law. Acts of domestic violence are also an offence under various sections of PPC, and punishments for these have been prescribed in this federal law too.