Fehmida Mirza for effective legislation to protect women rights
'Pakistan Times' Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza Monday underlined the need to introduce more effective and positive legislation in the Parliament to protect women rights being violated in the name of honour killing, domestic violence and through jirga system.

Woman should not be considered as property of any one. Our religion Islam provides full respect to woman and protection to its fundamental rights. There is also protection to women rights in the constitution, she told a private television.

“There must be positive legislation in the Parliament to protect women rights and full implementation on it,” the first woman speaker of the country and Islamic world observed.

She also criticised the jirga system functioning especially in interior areas of the country, who oftenly announce severe punishments against women community.

There is no need and room of Jirga system in presence of independent judicial system in the country, she said adding “we have to further strengthen our court system for cheaper and quick dispensation of justice to everyone.”

She termed the jirga system ‘a parallel system’ against the courts, which should not be in place.

To a question, she said the parliament would be made supreme and vowed to take all parliamentarians along on equality basis for smooth functioning of the house, irrespective of party affiliations.

She also appreciated the decision of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for presenting him in question-hour of the national assembly to respond queries of opposition benches on the government policies.

She said such step of the PM would set new example in parliamentary history of the country and also help ensuring presence of all ministers in question-hour for accountability and get feed back from opposition benches.

Commenting on a question, Fehmida Mirza said the country has been running through ordinances, while it needed proper legislation through the Parliament for the welfare of common man and ultimate progress and development of Pakistan.

She said all issues would be brought in the Parliament and settled through effective debate and legislation.

Dr. Fehmida Mirza urged all parliamentarians to rise-above their party affiliation and do legislation for welfare of the common man and progress and prosperity of the country.●