Bowing to the mullahs, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured them that no laws which are against the Islamic rules will be enacted during his regime.
He promised them that two major bills, the first to address the issue of domestic violence and another drafted to check forced conversions, will not be enacted as they are against Islamic law.
According to reports in Pakistani media, Khan has been meeting Islamic scholars and ulemas, he told them to “suggest” ways to protect the family system and the socio-religious values of Pakistani society.
According to the Pakistani daily, The News, Khan told them that a few non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are working hard to get such laws and policies legislated that promote westernisation and seriously hurt “our” family system and socio-religious values.
Interestingly, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2021 was moved in the National Assembly by Imran Khan’s own minister for Shireen Mazari in April this year, and passed in the lower house on the same day. Despite several objections by the religious hardliners and conservative sections, the bill was passed by the Pakistani Senate in July and since then was awaiting presidential assent. The bill aims to protect women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups from domestic violence. The bill demands harsh penalties for all sorts of domestic violence. It also seeks to offer relief and rehabilitation to all individuals who are victims of domestic violence.
But Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has dared Imran Khan’s government to enact the bill into law. It is the same hardline organisation which had suggested to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to bring a bill that allows a husband to "lightly" beat his wife "if needed" and prohibits mixing of the genders in schools, hospitals and offices.
Farzana Bari, human rights activist and academic at Quaid-i-Azam University says that the government is “listening” to hardliners, it is extremely disturbing to reject the domestic violence bill.
“This Council is a burden on the Pakistani taxpayer and bringing a bad name to Muslims throughout the world,” she had said, warning that rejecting the bill “will take Pakistan further into ignorance.”
The Mullahs have also told Khan that obscenity is being spread especially by the social media which has emerged as a major threat to the Pakistani family system. According to a report by The News, the cricketer-turned-politician, who was known for his flamboyant life style, was more than in agreement with these hardliners.
It may be recalled Khan has been blaming women, Bollywood and Hollywood for sexual violence in the country.
“Women in Pakistan should remove 'temptation' because 'not everyone has willpower', he added, urging females to cover up to help reduce the sexual violence which has plagued our country,” Khan had said in a live televised programme.
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A twice–divorced former playboy, Khan has upped the ante on his misogynistic views since coming to power in 2018. It's hardly a surprise that Pakistan ranks sixth on the list of the world's most dangerous countries for women. Since 2015, more than 22,000 rape cases have been reported in the country, but the real tally is likely to be far higher. Pakistan also has an appalling conviction rate: only around 0.3 per cent of rapists are found guilty.
The State of Human Rights in Pakistan report for 2021 has painted a concerning picture regarding gender disparity and crimes against women. It says that roughly 1,000 women are murdered in honour killings every year. It also pointed out that in the Global Gender Gap Index of the World Economic Forum, Pakistan occupies the 151st position out of 153 countries.
