ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Saturday said women are being killed in the name of honour in the country without fulfilling the Islamic requirement of producing four witnesses in adultery cases.
Addressing a judicial conference here on the theme “Access to Justice for All”, the Chief Justice said the Constitution mandates women’s representation in all spheres.
He lamented the neglect of social history in Muslim societies and condemned the misuse of honor killings in the name of dignity. He said that according to Islamic teachings, “the requirement of four witnesses is necessary, but it is against Islamic law for a woman to be killed in the name of honor.”
He also said that accusing a woman of adultery is called “qazf” and is punishable under Islamic and Pakistani law. “Accusing or desecrating a woman is punishable by 80 lashes in the Quran,” he said, adding that he had never heard of anyone being punished for falsely accusing a woman of adultery.
The Chief Justice reiterated that denying women their rightful inheritance rights is a grave crime that goes against Islamic principles, pointing out that there are frequent cases in which a deceased daughter is deprived of her inheritance rights after her father’s death, when her son claims to have received the property as a gift.
He said the constitution guarantees protection for women in the workplace and that all children of both sexes between the ages of five and 16 have the right to a free education.
The chief justice said the first word in the Quran was “iqra” and there was no distinction between the two. “In Islam and in our laws there is qazf,” he said.
Justice Isa said Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees equal treatment and stressed that women can not only become members of Parliament through quota of seats but also by winning elections.
He stressed on women’s participation in all spheres, adding that new laws could be enacted to protect women’s rights.
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