LAHORE - Talking a big leap to safeguard rights of the women, the Punjab Assembly yesterday unanimously passed the law titled “Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act-2016” that will be enforced in different areas and different times across the province.
Shortly called Women Protect Act aims to meet needs of the existing legal system which had failed to effectively address the menace and violence against women. The bill also envisages rehabilitation and justice to women if they fall they fall victim of domestic, emotional, psychological violence, verbal abuse, stalking and cyber crime.
Under the newly made law District Women Protection Officers (WPO) would be appointed to take care of everything of the victim women in addition to getting her relief from the court of law.
The victim women will also get help from Women Protection Committee, protection centre and shelter homes. The enactment made on the subject has come through after three years’ study carried out jointly by both sides in the House.
The Opposition wanted two amendments to the bill but it withdrew them in the last moment to let the Law Minister incorporate his nine.
The Act says an aggrieved woman will have facility of toll free number to lodge her complaint. As in case of violence she will immediately be provided shelter and treatment while the WPO will institute case on her behalf before the Court to obtain for her protection, residence or monetary order in her favour against the defendant.
The court will decide the case within seven days. A women aggrieved of domestic violence will not be evicted but in accordance with law and if evicted the court will restore her to that residence if she has right, title or beneficial interest in the house or she may choose an alternative residence to be arranged by the defendant as per her financial resources.
In order to ensure protection of the aggrieved woman, the court may order the defendant not have communication with her, keep a distance from the victim woman or the court can order to wear him ankle or wrist bracelet GPS to track his movement round the clock.
The court can also take away the licenced weapon of the defendant for the safety of the woman and it can also pass any other order which it deems fit for her protection. The court may also seek surety bonds from the defendant to the effect of preventing him committing violence on woman besides directing the defendant at the stage of trial to pay her interim monetary relief.
The District Women Protection Committee at the head of the DCO will function to supervise working of the protection centres and shelter homes and take steps to improve the relief and rehabilitation services in addition to performing other duties.
After passage of the bill, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the Act is open to improvement which may be brought in any time to protect women’s rights in letter and spirit.
The House presided over by the Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan also carried another bill to amend the Punjab Forest Act to the effect of setting up Punjab Forest Company under the private public partnership. The Opposition strongly opposed the amendment which in official record, aimed at tackling blank forest areas for raising forest plantation through private investment.
Mian Aslam Iqbal, Arif Abbasi, Khadija Umar and Taimur wanted further study on the bill as the forest in private hands would actually be a favour by Sharifs to their blue-eyed. Iqbal said privatisation of such important department runs counter to the PML-N claims made immediately after coming into power to revamp the departments and improve their capacity.
And privatization, he said, reflects failure of the government in living up to its commitment. He said under public-private partnership the national kitty will suffer the burden of huge expenses when the favourites would be appointed at hefty salaries.
He said the private company may be foreign which means giving rights of the public to the foreigners. He lamented the government preference was foreign friends and not Pakistanis for engaging them in development projects.
The jobless youth are accruing in number while the government was looking at the foreign companies, he said citing the projects which were given to Turk companies on contract.
The treasury members put out the Opposition members by raising slogans against the PTI performance in KPK. Later, the law minister said the Bill was thoroughly examined by the Standing Committee and the Opposition did not touch even a single point as to why the same should again be put to study but said what had little relevance to the subject. On voting the House carried the bill. The House will resume the business at 11am today.