Keeping eyes on CII: National human rights body to counter "anti-women" rulings

LAHORE: The National Commission for Human Rights, the recently formed federal body tasked with ensuring the protection of human rights, has said it will be closely examining each state issuing from the Council of Islamic Ideology, a legal advisory body, especially in relation to women's rights.

This was announced by NCHR member Chaudhry Muhammad Shafique on Friday while speaking at an event organized to seek feedback on the Commission's strategic plan.

Earlier, several participants from civil society including lawyers and journalists said that some of the CII’s recent recommendations could have a detrimental impact on the state of women’s rights.

The debate on women's rights in Pakistan has become a staple feature of the national conversation in Pakistan since the CII and various religious political parties took a stand against the passage of the Punjab Women Protection Bill.

Recently, the CII also received ridicule from human rights campaigners and civil society for recommending its own version of a women protection bill, which achieved instant infamy for allowing husbands to "lightly beat" their wives.

While members of the CII have defended their version of the bill and criticized the original for disrupting the delicate balance in the household between husband and wife, human rights campaigners have slammed the body for its male-centric pronouncements, which they feel stem from a dearth of female representation.