Chief Whip of Pakistan Muslim League-Q in National Assembly Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on Tuesday said his party wanted "serious legislation" for the protection of women's rights, especially violence against women. In an exclusive talk with APP, Pirzada said the PML-Q government had introduced Women Protection bill for ensuring the women's rights.
"We had taken the PPP and other like-minded parties on board vis-a-vis our Women Protection Bill. However, the government has not taken us on board. Neither we have been contacted for supporting the bill, nor we have been provided a copy of the Protection against Harassment Bill, which has already been passed by the Federal Cabinet," he added. The PML-Q leader said once they were provided a copy of the Bill they would discuss the Bill in length in the party meeting. "Then we would decide whether or not to support the Bill", he added.
The proposed Bill on Harassment, which was approved by Federal cabinet last week, is a set of legislation on gender harassment with focus on workplace. It will be applicable to all registered bodies across the country. The set of legislation includes a comprehensive Bill titled 'Protection from Harassment at Workplace Act (PHWA)', and a Bill to amend the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. The Bill is gender neutral, meaning it covers sexual harassment at workplace against both men and women.