The Hudood Ordinance
The Hudood Ordinance
The Hudood Ordinance
The Hudood Ordinance was a law in Pakistan that was enacted in 1979
as part of then military ruler Zia's Islamization process, and
replaced/revised in 2006 by the Women's Protection Bill.
LAW CODE
CONTROVERSY
The evidence of guilt was there for all to see: a newborn baby in the arms
of its mother, a village woman named Zafran Bibi. Her crime: she had
been raped. Her sentence: death by stoning. Now Ms. Zafran Bibi, who is
about 26, is in solitary confinement in a death-row cell.
Thumping a fat red statute book, the white-bearded judge who convicted
her, Anwar Ali Khan, said he had simply followed the letter of the Koran-
based law, known as hudood, that mandates punishments.
However, Mufti Taqi Usmani, an instrumental figure in making the law, has
stated
If anyone says that she was punished because of Qazaf (false accusation
of rape) then Qazaf Ordinance, Clause no. 3, Exemption no. 2 clearly
states that if someone approaches the legal authorities with a rape
complaint, she cannot be punished in case she is unable to present 4
witnesses. No court of law can be in its right mind to award such a
punishment.
REVISION OF ORDINANCE
Human rights groups and activists in Pakistan have also criticized the bill
saying that "The so-called Women’s Protection Bill is a farcical attempt at
making the Hudood Ordinance palatable". The concern is that thousands
of rapes go unreported as victims fear that they would be treated as
criminals.