According to Express Trinune, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has proposed its own women protection bill, recommending ‘a light beating’ for the wife if she does not ‘dress as he desires’, refuses to have sex, or fails to take a bath after her period.
The 20-member CII is a constitutional body of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which gives recommendations to parliament regarding Islamic laws. The bill was drafted after the CII rejected Punjab’s controversial Protection of Women against Violence Act (PPWA) 2015 terming it un-Islamic.
The CII will now forward its proposed bill to the Punjab Assembly. The council has proposed that a husband should be allowed to ‘lightly’ beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires; turns down demand of intercourse without any religious excuse or does not take bath after intercourse or menstrual periods.
It has suggested that a beating is also permissible if a woman does not observe Hijab; interacts with strangers; speaks loud enough that she can easily be heard by strangers; and provides monetary support to people without taking consent of her spouse.
The 163-page bill also proposes a ban on co-education after primary education, ban on women from taking part in military combat, ban on welcoming foreign delegations, interacting with males and making recreational visits with ‘Na-Mehram’
It says female nurses should not be allowed to take care of male patients and recommends that women should be banned from working in advertisements. It recommends that an abortion after 120 days of conceiving should be declared ‘murder’
However, it says a woman can join politics and marry without permission of parents. It also suggests that anyone who tries to force women to marry with the Holy Quran or facilitate this should be awarded 10-year imprisonment.
