ISLAMABAD, 3 July 2006 — The controversial Hudood Ordinance that curtails women’s rights will now be presented before the Parliament for review and modification.

The decision was made jointly by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during a meeting in Rawalpindi after a daylong consultation with jurists and representatives of human rights organizations.

The Hudood Ordinance, which has drawn flak from women and human rights organizations, was enacted by former President Gen. Ziaul Haq. His son Ejazul Haq wants the ordinance to be retained as part of the statute while majority of ministers and Pakistan Muslim League leaders oppose it and demand that the law be struck off the statute as it curtails women’s rights.

The meeting was informed that over 6,500 women were languishing in various jails after having been sentenced under the Hudood Ordinance. About 1,000 of them are serving their sentences, while the others are in jails due to prolonged trial procedure.

Many of them are in prisons without any charge being proved against them in courts.

President Musharraf has ordered immediate release of the women who are languishing in jails without any crime proved against them.

The Hudood Ordinance was reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology that declared it a “ man-made law.”

Authors of the ordinance during Gen. Zia’s era had observed that women did not enjoy equal rights given to men as witnesses and hence they were inferior.

During her interview with Arab News recently Federal Minister for Women’s Development Sumaira Malik had said that the government was all set to repeal the Hudood Ordinance because of its discriminatory provisions against women.