Women’s Protection Bill tabled under US tutelage: Ghafoor

KARACHI: Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, Naib-Amir, Jamaat-e-Islami, and MMA central leader said that the Women’s Protection Bill was tabled in the National Assembly under US pressure. The West and US, he said, had launched a campaign on several occasions against Islamic laws.

He was addressing a press conference at the Idara-e-Noor-e-Haq on Thursday along with other MMA leaders including Abbas Taqvi, Abdul Haleem Qadri of JUP, MPAs Nasrullah Shaji, Younus Barai and Dr Meraj-ul-Huda Siddiqui.

The US and Western media, he said, were propagating in and outside the world against Islamic Laws and the so-called women’s NGOs of the country supported the US stance, he alleged.

While condemning all those who dared amend the divine law, he said they would have to face the wrath of Allah adding that amendment was made in 1979 during Zia-ul-Haq period but no government ever dared repeal the laws. Even Benazir Bhutto, during her two tenures, could not repeal them.

Moving the Women’s Protection Bill after four years of their tenure was meant to divide the combined opposition, he said, but the conspiracy of the government was foiled, he reiterated.

The only aim of tabling the women’s protection bill was to create a split among the combined opposition, as the bill was tabled at a time when the opposition was to move the no-confidence motion (NCM) against the Prime Minister but the unity of opposition thwarted the conspiracy of the rulers and the no-confidence motion was submitted. The NCM, he said, was moved with as many as 141 members. Forty-one percent of the members tabled the motion, he said, though the recent statement of Benazir could have adversely effected the situation but the opposition was united on the one-point agenda, to oust President Musharaf and army from the affairs of the country.

The government, he said, was avoiding secret balloting over the no-trust move as it apprehended that its disgruntled MNAs would support the opposition and a hand-count on the day was proposed by the government. Though, he replied that there was no tradition in the past for secret balloting but it could be so if the government allowed. It was only the second prime minister in the history of Pakistan who faced a no-confidence. The first was Benazir Bhutto but the move was not successful. However, later on after nine months, the then President, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, sacked the prime minister on corruption charges, he said.

The Muttahida, he said, protested outside the Parliament House and on the same night distributed pamphlets and posted banners in the city demanding that MMA legislators be hanged to death and punitive action be taken against those who desecrated the Holy Qur’aan.

The MQM, he said, was playing a “B” team role of the army and wanted to show its loyalty and Musharaf who needs the support of MQM in the next election was supporting its alliance partner. The entire state machinery was used in the MQM’s propaganda, sucking the national exchequer dry for which it should be held accountable, said Prof Ghafoor.

Terming the situation, critical, he said that nobody on earth would ever tolerate changes in the law that was ordained by Allah Almighty and warned the rulers and those who supported the amendment would be resisted by the MMA. He said the MQM was the only party, which never recited Naat or Qur’aanic verses before the start of its procession or any gathering. Now, he said, it had created an issue over which it had never bothered to talk.