Draft to amend rape laws soon
SLAMABAD, Aug 02 2006: The government will propose legislation amending rape laws to remove the near impossible burden of proof placed on victims and protect them from retaliatory adultery charges, a senior lawmaker said on Aug 01. The draft amendment would likely be submitted soon to the National Assembly, Mahnaz Rafi, chairwoman for Parliament’s Special Committee for Women’s Development, told The Associated Press.
“This will be a historic change and it will end decades of miseries for women,” said Mahnaz, a PML MNA. Under the proposed amendments, “the person who accuses a woman of committing adultery will have to come up with four witnesses” in a common law court, she said. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MNA Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said on Aug 01 the alliance opposed repealing of the Islamic laws in entirety but it might support legislation aimed at improving how investigations are handled.
“Neither parliament nor anyone else has the authority to remove or change laws of God,” he said. Hafiz declined to comment in detail because he had not seen the draft amendments.
Source: The News
Date:8/2/2006
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