Government in a fix over Women Bill
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD (September 14 2006): The government struck a hat trick on Wednesday in its failure to move what now appeared to be a ‘troubled’ Women Protection Bill for debate in the National Assembly. Several MNAs of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, besides Pakistan Peoples’ Party Parliamentarians, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and even its coalition ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement rejected the amended draft.
It was not immediately clear, when the proposed bill would be finalised, as the government spokesman Information and Broadcasting Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told a news conference that the government was in no hurry and would like to bring a consensus draft. Interestingly in the House, neither MNA from the Government nor from the Opposition benches, asked about the fate of the bill, listed on the agenda, for not taken up earlier on Thursday or Monday. Durrani said that the government wanted to take all parliamentary parties on board and would prefer ‘correction to a hastily drafted bill’.
Not only MMA, but also PPPP and MQM opposed the draft, unless it was debated and approved by the Select Committee. Even the experts committee also disowned if after seeing the final draft. MMA has threatened to resign en bloc from the assemblies if the Bill without taking them into confidence was passed from the Parliament. PPPP and MQM have also hinted at not backing the initiative in case it was not referred to the Select Committee for approval, putting the government in awkward position. The alliance has called for setting aside the Select Committee’s bill and drafting a new document in the light of recommendations of the religious experts. They were assigned the task after PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain aired this proposal to end the deadlock.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who returned from Jalalabad in the afternoon, straight away rushed to the Parliament House to chair the ruling coalition’s parliamentary parties’ meeting, which was partially boycotted MQM lawmakers. Sources told Business Recorder that MQM MNAs openly rejected the bill, saying they would not support it as it was redrafted through ‘backdoor’ on MMA’s dictation. Likewise, Makhdoom Ahmed Alam Anwar, Farooq Amjad Mir and some other ruling Pakistan Muslim League members proposed that any hasty decision on such an important bill could mar the noble cause. They were of the opinion that the draft should be finalised after allaying apprehensions of all the stakeholders, sources added.
MMA’s deputy secretary general Hafiz Hussain Ahmed told journalists that against the decided mode, the draft, replete with even typing mistakes was faxed to them instead of its formal presentation to the leadership. Even the head of the experts’ panel, Mufti Taqqi Usmani objected to it, disowning it in the present shape, Hafiz said. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and MMA’s secretary general, said that they still have reservations on the proposed Bill, which he added was not redrafted, and some of the experts’ recommendations along with theirs had been incorporated in it instead. MMA leader chaired a meeting at his chamber in the Parliament House to review the draft. Other MMA participants were Liaquat Baloch, Naseeb Ali Shah, Abual Khair M Zubair, Talha Mahmood and Assadullah Bhutto.
Maulana Fazl added that MMA had called for not tabling of the bill on Wednesday, as in its present shape, MMA would oppose it. A delegation of MMA lawmakers, headed by Senator Professor Sajid Mir was expected to apprise the experts of their reservations and concerns on various clauses of the draft bill, he said. PPPP’s chief whip, Khurshid Shah told reporters along with MNAs Nayyar Bokhari, Zamurad Khan, Sherry Rehman and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, after reviewing the text of the proposed Bill that they would not support it unless, it was again debated and fine-tuned in the Select Committee. Liaquat Baloch, later said that they had objection to nine clauses of the Bill on technical grounds while four others were totally unacceptable to them in any case. MMA proposed that PPPP and MQM should also send its religious experts to the committee so that a consensus document could be furnished, incorporating their proposals if any, to bring it in line with Islamic teachings.
In the Parliament cafeteria, MQM and PPPP MNAs were sitting on one table, expressing views on the matter. State Minister for Education Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain, questioned involvement of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in the bill-related deliberations. “If this is the way to handle this matter. It is better to refer it to the Council of Common Interests,” he smilingly remarked. Another MQM lawmaker Haider Abbas Rizvi quipped that any attempt outside the purview of the Select Committee would not be supported. “These Maulvis want to dictate the government through backdoor. Their recommendations are un-Islamic, unethical and immoral,” he alleged. PPPP’s Nabeel Gabol said that the ruling party even overlooked its own partners by resuming parleys with MMA. He wanted to know what would be the fate of the proposed Bill the Select Committee had drafted. The House resumed business with 45 minutes delay and would now meet again on Thursday in the afternoon.
Source: B.Recorder
Date:9/14/2006
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