Many critics of President General Pervez Musharraf have been dismissive of his Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2006, which was passed unchanged by both the National Assembly and Senate, and enacted into law on 1 December. The new bill has been attacked as being little more than the grande finale of the president's latest political reinvention tour, and for addressing just two of the five aspects of the country's oppressive Hudood Ordinances – adultery and rape.
Opponents insist that the principle purpose of the new legislation remains the consolidation of Gen Musharraf's 'enlightened moderation' creden-tials on the international stage. Indeed, even the bill's much-awaited parliamentary debut before the National Assembly in mid-November appeared to have been timed for maximum impact. It was on the same day that In the Name of Honor, the ghost-written memoir of Mukhtaran Mai – the gang-rape victim who has since become an international icon against female subjugation – went on sale in Pakistan.
Many have felt that this coincidence was orchestrated to dilute memories of the general's infamous 'rape-to-riches' faux pas at the 2005 United Nations General Assembly in New York, when he suggested that Pakistani women often alleged rape to secure either financial compensation or fast-track resident status to Western countries. It may also have been designed to erase memories of the president's placing of Mai, also in 2005, on the country's 'exit-control' list, which barred her from attending a conference in the US to share her ordeal. But while Gen Musharraf's critics continue to insist that any change in his approach to the plight of Pakistani women is merely cosmetic, it must nevertheless be noted that no political party in the country voted against his women's bill. Thus, the general has secured his place in history as the only Pakistani leader to have ever successfully challenged any aspect of the Hudood laws (See Himal December 2006, "Fighting Hudood, protecting women").
Firewall protection
The Women Protection Act (WPA) addresses the most controversial aspects of the Hudood Ordinances, a group of laws that date back to 1979 and Zia-ul Huq's rule – those pertaining to adultery and rape, which the new bill categorises as two separate offences. While adultery remains within the purview of Islamic law, the WPA abolishes the death penalty and flogging for those accused of this crime and also reverses its non-bailable status.