Pakistan's Musharraf promises more help for women
Source: Reuters
By Augustine Anthony ISLAMABAD, Dec 5 (Reuters) - President Pervez Musharraf promised on Tuesday to empower women in Pakistan's male-dominated society nearly a week after he signed a new law curtailing harsh Islamic laws dealing with rape. The Women's Protection Law, fiercely opposed by conservative Islamists, was seen as a key test of Musharraf's resolve to pursue his vision of enlightened moderation for the pre-dominantly Muslim country of 160 million people. "I congratulate the entire nation that an aggressively progressive bill has been passed," Musharraf told a women's convention in Islamabad. Controversy over the reform of Islamic laws has highlighted a long struggle between progressives and religious conservatives over the direction of Pakistani society. Musharraf said there should be equality between men and women but it would be a long drawn-out struggle to achieve. He vowed to push ahead with more reforms and laws to eliminate what he called unjust social practices. The government was planning legislation to outlaw forced marriages, including a practice of marrying off women to settle disputes, and to amend unfair inheritance laws, he said. "More should be done for women apart from this bill. We want to empower you ... Your destiny, your future should in your hand," Musharraf said. The law passed last week curtailed the scope of strict Islamic laws introduced by a military dictator in 1979. Under those laws, called the Hudood Ordinances, a rape victim had to produce four male witnesses to prove the assault or face possible prosecution for adultery. The main amendment took rape out of the sphere of the religious law and put it under the penal code, doing away with the requirement for four male witnesses and making it easier to prosecute rapists. "AGAINST PROGRESS" An alliance of Islamist opposition parties campaigned against the change, saying it would promote "free sex". Musharraf derided those who opposed the reform and said people should not vote for them in elections. A general election is due next year or in early 2008. "These people are against progress of Pakistan. They believe in extremism. They don't believe in moderation," he said. "Remember, you have to cast a vote. Remember, you will not vote for those who are against you ... go into the field and mobilise people not to vote for the wrong people," he said. "If you do that then the future of Pakistan will always be bright," he said. Women's groups have called for the total repeal of the Islamic laws, which still ban sex outside marriage and stipulate that women adulterers can be stoned to death. One woman at Tuesday's convention said changes to law books were useless as long as so many women remained uneducated. "These laws are of no use to women if they are not educated and know about their rights," said Tahira Munawar, a principal of a government girls' school.
| AlertNet news is provided by |  |
