{"id":6864,"date":"2014-03-12T10:59:39","date_gmt":"2014-03-12T10:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=6864"},"modified":"2021-12-17T11:02:39","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T11:02:39","slug":"hrcp-condemns-ciis-anti-women-edict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/hrcp-condemns-ciis-anti-women-edict\/","title":{"rendered":"HRCP condemns CII\u2019s anti-women edict"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lahore<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 March 12:<\/b>\u00a0The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly condemned the retrogressive move by the Council of Islamic Ideology to roll back the Muslim family laws and called upon the government to stand fast in defence of women\u2019s rights. In a statement issued here today the commission said:<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when the state is trying to deal with a grave threat from extremists posing as religious soldiers and the humanitarian challenges in Thar, Maulana Shirani, the controversial head of the Council of Islamic Ideology, has chosen to fire a broadside at the disadvantaged women of the country. And this right on the morrow of the world-wide celebration of the International Women\u2019s Day. The edict aimed at giving parents\/guardians a licence to give away little girls in marriage and freeing men of the need to secure the permission of their first wives before admitting second wives to their harems is nothing short of a vicious attack on women\u2019s and girls\u2019 fundamental rights. The assumptions underlying the suggestions made by Maulana Shirani and his associates are open to challenge not only on the ground of conflict with the constitution of Pakistan and universal human rights but also for being violative of the spirit of the religion these honourable men claim to follow. The people have a right to know as to what has made the CII, which had claimed to have completed its scrutiny of all laws quite some time ago, discover flaws in the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance of 1961 at this particular moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite obviously Maulana Shirani wishes to open a new front against women and to reinforce the militants\u2019 siege of the state. In doing so he has furnished a good reason for a full-scale review of the CII\u2019s functions, it powers, and the justification for its existence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government must not yield to the CII manoeuvre otherwise it will fail in its duly to protect the rights of women, and also undermine its own defences against extremists\u2019 assault on the state\u2019s democratic foundations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zoha Yusuf<\/b><\/p>\n

Chairperson<\/p>\n

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