A bill brought against domestic violence in Pakistan has been embroiled in controversy. There is a debate going on from social media to Parliament in favour and against the bill. Supporters of the bill say that this bill will protect victims of domestic violence, especially women, from exploitation. At the same time, those opposing the bill argue that this law violates the Constitution of Pakistan as well as the Islamic way of life.
The Imran government has brought the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2021. The law provides for stringent punishment against any type of domestic violence. Any act of domestic violence can be punished with imprisonment of not less than 6 months and not more than 3 years. Along with this, a fine ranging from 20 thousand to 1 lakh can also be imposed on the offender in such cases. There is also a provision for additional imprisonment of 3 months for non-payment of a fine.
The bill was introduced in Parliament by Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari. He says that this will create a legal framework for domestic violence victims. By doing so, the victims will get legal protection. Also, those who commit domestic violence can be punished as criminals by law.
On July 5, Prime Minister Imran Khan's Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Babar Awan wrote a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser. They have demanded that the law be sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) for review. Now CII will review and tell whether this bill is against the rules of Islam or not. Opposition to this decision has started.
CII has been in controversies many times due to its absurd decisions. According to the constitution, at least one member of the CII must be a woman, but all members of the current council are men. In 2016, the organization had said that a husband can 'mildly' kill his wife if needed.
CII has also advocated for boys and girls not to live together in schools, hospitals and offices. In 2016 itself, CII has rejected a bill related to domestic violence. So the people who support the law fear that the council will reject this bill as well.
The CII is a constitutional body that provides legal advice to the Pakistani government on matters related to Islam. This institution was created in 1962 by the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan. Its job is to see that any law being made by the Parliament is not violating the norms of Islam.
Those opposing the bill say that it violates Article 31 of the Pakistani Constitution. Article 31 gives Pakistani Muslims the right to live life in Islamic ways. Those opposing the law are also running a campaign on Twitter called #WeRejectDomesticViolenceBill.
Like and Follow us on :
