Seeking CII approval

K-P government’s insistence on referring draft of provincial domestic violence bill to the CII is a disturbing move

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government’s insistence on referring the draft of the provincial domestic violence bill to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) is a disturbing move. The bill has reportedly been pending with the CII for nearly two months now and in an event on International Women’s Day, Imran Khan reiterated that the bill will be presented in the K-P Assembly only after the CII takes a decision on its appropriateness. The CII’s legal and constitutional status has come under increasing criticism in recent times, including by legislators in the Senate, and it is accused of being a body that appears to be only focused on curtailing women’s rights. The CII’s role in supporting underage marriage as well as the recent opposition to the Domestic Violence Bill passed in the Punjab Assembly, among various other such examples, is a testament to this. Chairperson Maulana Muhammad Sherani recently went as far as suggesting that the Punjab Assembly should be charged under Article 6 for failing to seek the CII’s consent on the bill.

Given this, it is both ironic and unfortunate that the PTI government in K-P has not gone ahead with tabling the bill in the provincial assembly. Keeping in mind Imran Khan’s comments on the matter, it is also a matter of concern that the chairman of a major political party appears to have greater trust in the opinion of the CII rather than in the views of public representatives of the province his party rules. The domestic violence bill, of course, like any such legislation, will have various obstacles in the way of its implementation, but its passing is absolutely necessary and of utmost importance. This is a bill that should have been passed a long time ago, yet K-P is stalling the process further. It appears that waiting for the CII’s approval is merely a politically-motivated act to avoid any backlash on the bill from conservative elements. It is very unfortunate that once again women’s lives and rights have been put on the line to appease the right wing. Surely, the PTI can display the courage to take a stand against the violence that countless women are subjected to.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2016.

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