Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2021, to be referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII)

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan has written a letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, seeking a review of the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2021, by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) — a constitutional body that advises the legislature on whether or not a certain law is repugnant to the injunctions of Islam.

The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2021, was initially moved in the NA by Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari on April 19, 2021, and was passed by the Lower House the same day.

The Senate Committee on Human Rights had submitted a report on June 18, mentioning that the bill aimed to “establish an effective system for the protection, relief and rehabilitation of women, children, elders and other vulnerable persons against domestic violence in the territorial jurisdiction of Islamabad Capital Territory”.

According to the report, the law will empower courts to grant interim orders, protection custody and residence orders and award monetary relief to victims at the expense of respondents, and lead to the establishment of a protection committee to assist aggrieved persons and process their applications in court.

The report, however, had proposed multiple amendments to the draft as well, following which the bill was again referred to the NA.