Pakistani Husbands Can ‘Lightly Beat’ Wives, Says Islamic Council

Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology has in its new bill said that beating one’s wife lightly was acceptable if she defied her husband, The Indian Express reported. The Council has recommended that a husband can lightly beat his wife if she defies his instructions, does not dress as according to his wishes or refuses demands for intercourse without any religious reason.

Strangely enough, the council has proposed this under its new Women Protection Bill. Further the bill says, that beating is allowed if a wife does not observe hijab, talks to strangers, talks loud enough to be heard by other people or gives monetary support to other people without her husband’s consent.

It further states that there should be a ban on co-education after primary education, ban on women in military roles, ban on welcoming foreign delegations, interacting with men and making recreational visits with ‘Na-Mehram’.

It also said female nurses should not be allowed to take care of male patients and that women should not be allowed to work in advertisements. The council also said that an abortion after 120 days should be called ‘murder’.

Yet on the same note the Council also said that a woman can join politics or contract a ‘Nikah’ without her parents permission. Also, anyone who tries to forcefully marry a woman should be accorded ten years in jail.

The bill further says that if a non-muslim woman is forced to covert, her oppressor will be given three years in jail while she will be allowed to convert back to her original faith.

This proposed bill is under consideration and will be deliberated further when CII chairman Muhammad Khan Sheerani will give the final recommendations on the bill. A three member delegation on Thursday raised objections to many clauses of the proposed bill and urged the chairman to think about moderating them. They said the bill was drafted by a panel comprising of only men since the only woman CII member was not present at the time.