Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians members, led by their leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim did not attend Thursday's scheduled meeting of the "Select Committee" of the National Assembly on the Criminal Law Amendment (Protection of Women) Bill 2006, saying they were busy in the All Parties Conference.
The Central Information Secretary of the party, Sherry Rehman, told Business Recorder here that her party members would attend the meeting on Friday at the Parliament House wherein draft of the Bill incorporating far reaching amendments in the controversial Hudood Ordinance would be finalised for submission to the National Assembly.
A member of the committee, Begum Mehnaz Rafi told BR that the treasury benches' members of the committee met under the chairmanship of Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dareshak and thoroughly reviewed all the clauses of the bill and gave their suggestions.
She said that the final meeting of the 'Select Committee' would be held today to have suggestions of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, who have been demanding annulment of the Hudood Ordinance, equal rights and equal protection of the law for the women in the past.
The six-religious parties' alliance, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) are boycotting proceedings of the 'Select Committee'.
MMA vehemently opposes the Criminal Law Amendment (Protection of Women) Bill 2006 and threatened to launch a countrywide movement if the Hudood Ordinance was amended.
The meeting was attended by the Minister for Law & Justice Wasi Zafar, federal ministers Dr Sher Afghan Khan Niazi, Zahid Hamid, Sumaira Malik, Engr Amir Muqam, MoS Chaudhry Shahid Akram Bhinder, Muhammad Raza Hayat Hiraj, & MNA Mehnaz Rafi, Bushra Rehman, Kashmala Tariq, Khursheed Afghan, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Al Syed Abdul Qadir Jamaluddin Al Gilani, Mohammad and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri.