Rights of Women in Pakistan

Article by:Arooba Naeem

 The status of women varies in different religions , regions  and classes. Gender difference is decreasing day by day in Pakistan .Thus a Pakistani women enjoys a better status than most Middle Eastern women. Different laws were made in every government of Pakistan related to the rights of women in land and property, employment, education, workplace participation, rights against sexual and somestic violence, sports  and rights of women  in politics as well.

During the period of General Zia ul-Haq, the Army  chief of staff, many steps were taken towards the institutional building for women’s development such as the establishement of the Women’s Division in the Secretariat and another appointment Commission on the status of women. General  Zia- ul-Haq initiated a process of Islamization by introducing discriminatory legislation  against women such as the Hudood Ordinances and the Law of Evidence. Laws  regarding Qisas and Diyat were also proposed. Zina is a crime of non-martial sexual relations and andultry. Under the Zina Ordinance ,the maximum punishment according to the teachings of Islam would be given to the rapist.In 1988 reported by Amnesty International,more than one third of all Pakistani women in prison were being held due to having been accused or guilty of zina. Thus, punishment is also provided to the women with fake evidences and no proofs.   Women Action Forum (WAF) was the first national  women’s  movement in Pakistan developed to provide women with their rights in Pakistan during Zia period.The International Commission of Jurists in December 1986 relates the Islamic punishment  which discriminates  against women and non-Muslims.

Now in 1988 Benazir Bhutto became  the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. This women voiced concerns over  social issues of women, their health and discrimination against women. Plans to set up Women’s Police station,banks and women’s courts were made in her period. Welfare services for women were improved.Ministry of Women’s Development(MWD) established  studies centers in different cities of Pakistan including Karachi,Lahore,Islamabad,Quetta and Peshawar in 1989. The first Women bank(FWB) was also developed in the same year ,thus providing women with equal rights in employment as men. Pakistan acceded to the Convention of the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW) IN 1996. The Ministry of Women Development (MWD) was also developed . All these efforts were made by Benazir to provide women  better employement, education and status in the society.

Further in 1997,Nawaz Sharif  promised to develop Islamic Law as the supreme law of Pakistan in which women’s right to marry freely. The enhancement of of women’s status was the 16^th goal set up by the government  in the Pakistan 2010 program in Sharif’s period . the country’s first all women university named after Fatima Jinnah was inaugurated in 1988 to provide women with quality education of medicine.

Moving on to Pervez Musharraf’s regime Women Protection Bill  was passed. Later during the court trails in 2005 , the case of Mukhtaran Mai brought the plight of rape victims in Pakistan under an international spot light , encouraging the women protection rights separating from the Social Welfare and Education Ministry. So the Ministry of Women development was made independent.

Recently President Zardari on January 2010 signed the Protection against Harassment Of Women at Workplace Bill.

Therefore, women of Pakistan today can enjoy their rights in every way .Now a women can respectfully  enjoy their Pakistani culture and  live with full liberty in this country.