Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr. Muhammad Farogh Naseem has said that the present Government is the most pro-women Government as far as proposed legislation is concerned. He was talking to a delegation of Commonwealth Parliamentarians Association that called on him on Tuesday. The delegation was led by Labour MP Ms. Naz Shah. The other participants included Lord Rogan, Mr. Jon Davies and Ms. Umamah Basit. The Federal Minister told the delegation that the proposals by the Government included the enactment of Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Bill which will empower Women Ombudspersons to undertake inheritance cases where they face issues related to title and possession. The Ombudsperson would issue an order in case of illegal possession of property while in cases where disputes are related to the title; the Ombudsman would refer the cases to the courts of Law. He further said establishment of Legal Aid Authority Bill will especially help women and children in the legal system and women implicated in drug cases will be dealt with in a manner so as to favor them since they are the carriers in most of the cases and powerful drug cartels behind them do not get punished. The delegation lauded the proposals and told the Minister they would be pleased to legislate on the lines of legislation passed by Pakistan. Responding to the delegation’s concern regarding the murder of Samia Shahid and Fahad Malik, the Law Minister said the courts in Pakistan are independently doing work and the cases will be resolved according to the law. Responding to Lord Rogan on the issue of land grabbing and titles, the Minister said there is some economic aspect to each and every crime that is being committed and the Law Ministry is taking steps to eliminate the possibility of fraud. He said the Law Ministry is working to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis who want to invest in Pakistan. If someone wants to invest in Pakistan the transaction will be registered at the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis. The Registry will advise the Overseas Pakistanis and special Overseas Courts will be established to dispose off disputes in the cases. He further said we are trying to computerize the land records. He apprised the delegation regarding the amendments in Civil Procedure to cut down the duration of civil cases from 40 years to 2 years, in cases related to inheritance from 7-8 years to 15 days. Mr. Farogh Naseem also told delegation how the Whistleblower laws will help fight corruption while protecting the whistleblowers. Parliamentary Secretary Ms. Maleeka Bukhari, who was also present during the meeting, gave a detailed account of Action Plan for Women and Girls proposed by the Government. She told the delegation the government is committed to enact pro-women laws especially in the cases involving sexual violence and gender based crimes. The Commonwealth Parliamentarian Association Delegation thanked the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary and expressed the desire to work with Pakistan especially on gender related issues. *****
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