November 24, 2006
episode 1
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November 23, 2006
Fireworks in Senate over women’s rights bill
ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: Religious parties in the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) poured scorn on a new women’s rights bill at the start of a Senate debate on the draft on Wednesday, some Senators calling it “a revolt against God”.
The treasury benches too came out with a vehement defence of the Protection of the Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill after allowing the critics a free hand to vent out their anger in what would be a much longer debate than was held in the National Assembly last week and would continue on Thursday.
The bill, seeking to protect women from the misuse of 27-year-old controversial Hudood decrees to punish sex outside wedlock, was passed by the National Assembly on Nov 15 and must be adopted by the Senate as well to become law — a certainty in view of the comfortable majority of the ruling coalition and support from a major opposition party.
MMA’s Prof Khurshid Ahmed opened the debate and made the longest speech of the day, calling the bill an attempt to change the Islamic Hadd punishments which, he said, was “not only a sin but a rebellion against God”.
He said the new law would harm rather than doing any good to women’s rights and accused President Pervez Musharraf of thrusting it on the ruling party as part of a ‘Western agenda’ against Islam.
The defence of the bill came from leader of the house Wasim Sajjad, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Khan Niazi and Minister of State for Law and Justice Shahid Akram Bhinder, all of whom said the new law was necessary to protect women from wrongs done by the two 1979 Hudood ordinances about Zina (adultery and rape) and Qazf (false allegation of Zina) and that it conformed with the Islamic injunctions. They rejected MMA’s arguments that it was contrary to the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro deferred consideration of a privilege motion filed by Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali that accused authorities of preventing him from visiting a madressah in the Bajaur tribal area where a military missile strike on Oct 30 killed 83 people. The opposition parties are also seeking a debate on the strike.
November 22, 2006
Two Journalists Gunned Down in Iraq
Press Freedom
A series of recent attacks killed at least 20 Iraqis, including two journalists who were gunned down in northern
Iraq. Fadia Mohammed al-Taie, a reporter for the independent weekly newspaper al-Massar, and her driver were killed in
Mosul. Luma al-Karkhi, who worked for the independent weekly al-Dustor, was killed in Baqouba as she was going to work. In an interview with Newsweek, May Chidiac, a 2006 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award recipient, discussed her assassination attempt and her determination to fight for press freedom in Lebanon.
women in media & decision-making
Pakistan had a very fragile political history with three Martial Laws on its credit. This dented way to democracy not only affects the economic growth of the country but also socially retards its way in a gender sensitive society. Women participation is at its minimum in all walks of life. Pakistani women are not given due importance in term of their rights for freedom of expressions either at domestic or international level. This situation helps create the culture of silence and distorts discourse about limited rather negligible presence of women in challenging fields. The representation of women in Pakistani journalism is inadequate. Moreover, the presence of female journalist is almost missing in media coverage of parliamentary sessions, political gatherings, political rallies, peace building and conflict resolutions. Therefore, the role of women journalist is limited in strengthening the democratic process and its further growth. Now, it is mandatory that the women journalist are given considerable chances and wide-ranging opportunities to work at the news desks and reporting for country’s major dailies in Urdu, Sindhi and English languages. They could than be able to pay their significant role in reporting of parliament, judiciary, legislation, and good governance as an opinion builder. This is the very reason that due to ineffective representation of half of the population of Pakistani society, the democracy and its values are still untrue and out of practice.
