Hudood law to stop massive abuse of women: Durrani
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Durrani on Tuesday said that under the revised Hudood bill, anyone could approach the court to get a Zina case registered against the accused in a bid to stop its massive abuse by police. The minister said powers of police have been clipped in a way to directly register Zina cases and stop its massive abuse against the women who have been subjected to indiscriminate treatment at the hands of police. He said courts would be in a better position to decide about such cases. Talking to a group of reporters in his chamber in the Parliament House here, Durrani explained salient features of the revised bill being tabled in the National Assembly after striking consensus with the MMA.
He termed accord on the women’s bill with the MMA historic and said it would go a long way in stopping the misuse of existing laws. He said the government should be given a credit for bringing about procedural changes in the existing Hudood laws. The minister was of the view that women were being dishonored by certain elements in the society through getting cases of Zina registered with the police to punish their opponents. Durrani said the bill was revised and courts were given powers to proceed against the accused of Zina to stop victimization of innocent women at the hands of powerful people with vested interests. He dispelled the impression that procedural changes in the existing Hudood laws would give license to everybody in the society to spread obscenity. He questioned what was wrong with giving powers to courts to proceed against the accused of Zina instead of police?
Durrani hoped that by injecting these changes the massive abuse of laws particularly against women would be stopped and at the same time courts would be available for taking action against the accused of Zina. He said however, the condition of producing four witnesses before the court to qualify for registration of case against the accused of Zina had been done away after negotiations with the MMA. Now, he said, the complaint could be lodged with the court even on the basis of circumstantial evidence or less than four witnesses.
Source: The News
Date:9/13/2006
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