For gender equality

Finally the womenfolk in the country have a cause to celebrate. The Council of Islamic Ideology should be praised for its efforts to institute a slew of what could be called landmark changes in the family laws ordinance in Pakistan. The most important of them that could go a long way in ensuring gender equality concern are that of mehram law and divorce. It would be mandatory for the husband according to the proposed law to divorce his wife within 90 days of submission of a written demand by her and failing to do so would automatically render the nikah cancelled. The existing law on divorce in large part is confusing as it relies on oral pronouncement by the husband who whenever wants on his impulse could by merely declaring the word 'talaaq' to end the relationship. While for a wife it is extremely hard to take decisions on matters like ending a relationship, or beginning a new one for that matter the husband had been given a free hand. When talking of this one would have to keep the patriarchal pattern in our society where women are generally considered inferior to men. In a country where occurrences of killing women in the name of honor are common, depriving her of her share of property and subjecting her to other forms of humiliation are almost a norm, the report by the CII is a sigh of relief.