WP Bill set to clear last hurdle in Senate
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Women Protection Bill, which was passed by the National Assembly on November 15, will be adopted at the 33rd session of the Senate which has been summoned by the President for November 21.
The bill has already been sent to the upper house of the parliament. Parliamentary sources said on the opening day of the session no agenda will be taken up for discussion except offering of Fateha for the soul of late president Ghulam Ishaq Khan who was the chairman Senate in 1985.
Meanwhile, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan Khan Niazi has said that a member can send his resignation to the National Assembly secretariat and it is not mandatory, under the law, that the House should be in session.
“The speaker then can call the resigning member to confirm his or her resignation,” he told APP in an interview on Sunday. Sher Afgan said contrary to what is being said in the media, bye-elections can be held on vacant seats after the resignations of the members.
He termed the MMA’s resignations an attempt to divert public’s attention from the real issues confronting the common man. “They are only creating a fuss about the Women Protection Bill as there is nothing in it which is against Islam.
“The MMA is the ruling party in NWFP but have done nothing worthwhile for the welfare of the people of the province. Their resignations are an attempt to cover up their performance which has been zero so far,” he added.
He reiterated the government’s resolve to bring in more legislation for the welfare of the women which will put an end to un-Islamic customs and traditions like vani, women’s marriage with Quran and giving three divorces.
“Chaudhry Shujaat’s bill in this regard will prove another milestone in the country’s history.” President Musharraf, he added, has a vision for the country’s development which he is carrying out in a phased manner and quoted the example of Mirani Dam in Balochistan which he inaugurated on Thursday.
He said work on other dams like Subakzai dam, Bhasha dam and Kachhi canal is going on at a fast pace. “These dams are part of Musharraf’s Water Vision 2016 as everyone knows that without water and electricity, which are direly needed by the country, the development work cannot be carried out,” Afgan added. He said the price hike has come down from 35 percent to 24 percent as a result of government’s pro-poor policies and vowed to bring it further down.
Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has appreciated President General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, PML President Ch Shujaat Hussaian and the members of National Assembly for approving the women’s protection bill.
A resolution was unanimously adopted at PML women wing Punjab convention here Sunday in this regard. It was said in the resolution that the women’s protection bill is of key importance in changing plight of the women in the society.
The women’s protection bill is in accordance with teachings of Islam and would help women to perform their due role in the country in a better environment, the resolution said.