Pakistan Repeal Hudood Ordinance
It’s Not a God’s Law but an Instrument of Oppression against Women
This demand was made by the speakers and participants in the seminars organized by the Socialist Movement Pakistan (CWI- Pakistan) and Swair Women Organisation (SWO) in the different areas of Lahore. These seminars are part of a campaign to repeal the discriminatory laws against women. These seminars were organized in the working class areas of Badami Bagh, Kot Lakhpat and Shalimar Town. More than 200 women and young girls participated in these seminars. 14 female councilors also attended that seminars and made the commitment to raise this issue in the local councils. The main speakers were Rukhsana Manzoor, Farah Ijaz, Khalid Bhatti, Asma, Naheed Khan and Moona Malik. The working class women and young girls took keen interest in these seminars. It was clear from the questions that many women and young girls know very little about the content of these laws. After reading the leaflet produced by Socialist Movement and SWO to explain the real nature of these laws, most of them supported the demand to repeal these laws. More than 1000 special leaflet has been distributed in these areas.
The speakers rejected the amendments in the Hudood Ordinance and they demanded to repeal this draconian law. They declare this law un- Islamic, un constitutional, inhuman, discriminatory, exploitative and black legislation. This law was not made by the God but a military dictator. This law is man made and aimed to target the poor working class women. The implementation of this law in last 27 years clearly showed that this law has been widely misused by the police. Thousands of innocent poor women were victimized. Thousands of women spent many years in prisons for the crime, they never committed.
They said that all the leading Islamic scholars have declared this ordinance un-Islamic, but some religious political parties are supporting this ordinance to get political support from the most backward and reactionary sections of the society. They said General Zia promulgated the Hudood Ordinance because he wanted to prolong his rule in the name of “Islamisation” of the society. This law was made to serve the personal interest of a military dictator, which used Islam as political instrument to repress the women and working class.
Why we Oppose Hudood Ordinance
- Under this law a rape victim needs the witness of 4 adult Muslim males to prove a rape. If she fail to produce 4 witnesses than she will face the charges of adultery (consensual sex) which is a crime under Islamic Laws. According to this law every rape victim must arrange 4 males as witness before being raped.
- This law also applies to the religious minorities which means if Christian women want to prove a rape, she needs 4 Muslim male adults. How a Christian women can produce 4 male Muslim adults if the rape was committed in a Non Muslim area.
- This law treats consensual sex and rape as same. There is no distinguishing between a rape and consensual sex.
- This law does not accept female as witness in rape cases. That means if a woman raped in front of 4 females than she can not prove this rape.
- There are only 16 sections out of 101 which related to Islamic Laws. 85 men made laws have been imposed as Islamic Laws.
- This is the most misused law in Pakistan. General Musharaf has himself accepted that fact on many occasions. Under this law police can arrest a couple from a park or even from a street on a suspicious that they were thinking and preparing about sex. Even police arrest people from the streets on charges of making kisses in a public place.
- This law violates the basic fundamental and constitutional rights. This law discriminates on the basis of gender and religion.
- All the leading Islamic scholars in Pakistan unanimously agree that according to Islamic laws and traditions no women can be arrested and send to prison or locked in police station on any charges except murder and some very serious crimes. But under this law police can arrest woman on minor charges and can send them to prison.
This Ordinance must be repealed on these grounds.
By Rukhsana Manzoor