WPC: Women legislators call for review of inheritance laws

ISLAMABAD:

Women parliamentarians have called for joint efforts to facilitate women’s access to justice with special reference to inheritance rights, particularly for widows.

They were at a Thursday meeting of the general assembly of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) at Parliament House. WPC Secretary MNA Shaista Pervaiz presided over the meeting.

They discussed and decided that existing inheritance laws would be reviewed carefully and amendments would be proposed in light of Islamic injunctions. They agreed that implementation of existing laws was a major challenge and that the caucus will review implementation mechanisms in order to strengthen them.

Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, who is also Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, gave a presentation on Compulsory Immunisation and Protection of Health Workers Bill 2015. Parliamentarians carried out deliberations on the subject matter and showed their satisfaction on comprehensiveness of the bill.

WPC members also appreciated efforts of Senator Farooq and assured full support once the bill was tabled in National Assembly for passage. It may be noted that the Senate has already passed the bill in December 2015.

The general assembly condemned the Brussels bombings and the loss of innocent lives in the attacks and observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.

In her concluding remarks, Pervaiz reaffirmed WPC’s commitment to make every possible effort to build consensus and a joint strategy for women-friendly legislation and implementation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2016.