An in-depth study of Islamic history revealed that the Hudood Laws were not a true interpretation of the Holy Quran, said Shaheen Sardar Ali, a law professor at Warwick University and Oslo University, while talking about her research. She said that more than 95 percent cases lodged during the past 25 years were based on personal vendettas as could be seen by superior courts freeing the accused (who were actually the victims). Prof Shaheen's research 'Relationship of State and Religion' started a year ago and will be published in January. The study covers the Islamic and judicial context of all cases tried under Hudood laws over the past 25 years. The laws are widely regarded as discriminatory laws introduced by General Ziaul Haq in 1979. Prof Shaheen hails from the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and was also the NWFP health minister from 1999 to 2002. The Alliance for Education Development (a group of non-government organisations), the Idara-e-Taleem-O-Aagahi (ITA) and the Democratic Commission for Human Development (DCHD) jointly arranged the discussion, which was held at the Lahore Press club on Friday. Prof Shaheen was the keynote speaker at the discussion 'Interceptive strategies for women's human rights in plural frameworks: An analysis of state and judicial responses to Hudood case law'.