Inheritance courts: NA women group agrees to bring legislation in House | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Inheritance courts: NA women group agrees to bring legislation in House

ISLAMABAD: The women caucus in the National Assembly gave a nod to bring a legislation for the inheritance courts at the district level aimed at removing ambiguities and procedural anomalies in dispensation of justice to women subjected to violence, acid throwing and alienation from their right of inheritance.

Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza chaired a meeting of the Working Council of the Women Parliamentary Caucus in the Parliament House here on Thursday. The Working Council discussed the appointment of focal persons in each standing committee of the National Assembly.

These focal persons would be members of that respective committee and would act as a bridge between that standing committee and the Working Council. The speaker said that responsibility of the focal persons would be to apprise the relevant standing committee of the gender based issues and the women empowerment.

The Working Council was later briefed by Justice (R) Fakhar-un-Nisa Khokher MNA, who is mover of the bills related to amendments in various Criminal Penal Code and Pakistan Penal Code related to women issues. She apprised the Working Council that the proposed pieces of legislation were aimed at to remove ambiguities and procedural anomalies in dispensation of justice to women who were subjected to violence, acid throwing and alienation from their right of inheritance.

She specifically apprised the Working Council of the amendment in Criminal Penal Code through which Inheritance Courts would be established at district level. The Inheritance Courts would ensure quick disposal of cases related to inheritance in lower courts.

Dr. Fehmida Mirza appreciated the efforts of Justice (R) Fakhar-un-Nisa Khokher and said that the lower courts were really overloaded with civil cases of different nature due to which women litigants especially those who have been deprived of their legal rights were facing difficulties. She said the bill had already been referred to the relevant standing committee and the committee would be asked to deliberate upon the bill and submit its recommendation to the House for enactment.
Source: The News
Date:2/26/2010