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| India-Pakistan |
| Perv Gambles Again: Rape Law Now Criminal, Not Sharia |
| 2006-11-15 |
| Pakistan's lower house of parliament voted on Wednesday to put the crime of rape under the civil penal code, curtailing the scope of Islamic laws that rights groups have long criticized as unfair to women. The Women's Protection Bill was seen as a barometer of President Pervez Musharraf's commitment to his vision of "enlightened moderation" and a major battle in a struggle between progressive forces and religious conservatives over the Muslim nation's course. "It is a historic bill because it will give rights to women and help end excesses against them," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told the assembly after the vote. The Islamic laws, known as the Hudood Ordinances, were introduced by a military ruler, President Zia-ul-Haq, in 1979. They made a rape victim liable to prosecution for adultery if she could not produce four male witnesses to the assault. The main amendment approved on Wednesday takes rape out of the sphere of the religious law and puts it under the penal code. That does away with the requirement for four male witnesses and will allow convictions to be made on the basis of forensic and circumstantial evidence. The amendment bill must be approved by the upper house of parliament before it becomes law. Human rights campaigners have long pressed for total repeal of the Islamic laws, but have nevertheless welcomed moves to amend them. This is cutthroat politics at its best in Pakland. When the Islamists lose, they will also lose face, power, and votes. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #2 Except that the Pakistani legal system is very good at ignoring laws it doesn't feel like enforcing. It'll be a nice stick to beat political opponents with, though. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-11-15 22:48 |
| #1 I'll await the first successful prosecution and conviction before ululating, but it does sound like an overdue step in the right direction. |
| Posted by: Dar 2006-11-15 15:47 |