Constitution of Pakistan

CONSTITUTION A constitution explains what type of government you have, and what powers that government is entitled to. It also explains what that country considers a citizen, and the rights that they have, as a citizen. It describes to you what the government is in charge of, and, what different branches in the government are in charge of.

1956 FIRST CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN After assuming charge as Prime Minister, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali along with his team worked day and night to formulate a constitution for Pakistan. His efforts led to the first constitution that was enforced in the country on March 23, 1956. Pakistan's status as a dominion ended and the country was declared an Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Thereupon the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan became the interim National Assembly and Governor General Iskander Mirza was sworn in as the first President of Pakistan. The Constitution of 1956 consisted of 234 articles, which were divided into 13 parts and 6 schedules. One of the main features of the Constitution was its Islamic character. The Islamic provisions were contained in the directive principles of the state policy. Along with other Islamic provisions in the Constitution, the president, who was required to be a Muslim of at least 40 years of age, was to set up an organization for Islamic research with the aim of establishing a true Islamic society. The Objectives Resolution was, however, only made the preamble of the Constitution and not included in its main text. The Constitution vested the executive authority of the President in the Federation. The President had the discretionary powers to make the appointment of the Chairman and members of the Election Commission, Delimitation Commission and Public Service Commission. He also had the power to appoint the Prime Minister from amongst the members of the National Assembly. However, his appointee had to take a vote of confidence from the Assembly within two months of his appointment. The President also had the power to remove the Prime Minister if he felt that the Prime Minister had lost the confidence of the majority of the National Assembly members. The Constitution of 1956 provided for parliamentary form of government with a unicameral legislature. The only house of parliament, the National Assembly, was to consist of 300 members. The Constitution recognized the concept of One Unit, and the seats were divided equally between the two wings of the country. Thus the principle of parity was introduced. For the first ten years, five additional seats were reserved for women for each wing. National Assembly was to meet at least twice a year with at least one session at Dhaka. The Constitution offered direct elections under adult franchise. Every citizen of Pakistan with minimum age of 21 was allowed to vote in the elections.

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The Constitution provided for federal form of government in the country. The provincial structure was similar to the one in the center. The pattern for the center-province relations was the same as it was in the Government of India Act, 1935. There were federal, provincial and concurrent lists of subjects. There were 30 items in the federal list, 94 items in the provincial list and 19 items in the concurrent list. The federal legislation was to get precedence over provincial legislation regarding the concurrent list. Residuary powers were vested in the provinces. In case of a conflict between center and provinces or between the two provinces, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was to act as the mediator. The Constitution of 1956 was a written and flexible constitution. It advocated the fundamental rights of the individual. However, the President had the power to suspend these rights in case of an emergency. Judiciary was to remain independent. Urdu and Bengali were both accepted as state languages, while English was to remain the official language for the first 25 years. After ten years' passage of the Constitution, the President was to appoint a commission with the task to make recommendation for the replacement of English as the official language. The Constitution of 1956 proved to be short lived as on October 7, 1958, Marital Law was promulgated and the constitution was abrogated.

1960 SECOND CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN On 17 February 1960 Ayub Khan appointed a commission to report on the future political framework for the country. The Commission was headed by the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Muhammad Shahabuddin, and had ten other members, five each from East Pakistan and West Pakistan, composed of retired judges, lawyers, industrialists and landlords. The report of the Constitution Commission was presented to President Ayub on 6 May 1961 and thoroughly examined by the President and his Cabinet. In January 1962, the Cabinet finally approved the text of the new constitution. It was promulgated by President Ayub on 1 March 1962 and finally came into effect on 8 June 1962. The Constitution contained 250 articles divided into twelve parts and three schedules. Pakistan was named as 'Republic of Pakistan'. The constitution provided for a federal system with the principle of parity between East Pakistan and West Pakistan. Both the provinces would run their separate provincial governments. The responsibilities and authority of the centre and the provinces were clearly listed in the constitution. The Central Legislature had one house known as the National Assembly. There were 156 members of the National Assembly. The equality between the two wings were maintained in it. The Constitution of 1962 provided for a presidential form of government, as opposed to the parliamentary form of government under the 1956 Constitution. The President, who must be a Muslim not less than 35 years of age and qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly was to be elected indirectly by an electoral college in accordance with the provisions

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outlined in the Constitution itself. The Electoral College formed by not less than 80,000 Basic Democrats (B.D.), equally distributed between the two provinces. Under the Constitution of 1962, if the number of candidates for election to the office of President exceeds three, the Speaker of the National Assembly was to convene a joint session of the members of the National and Provincial Assemblies to select only three candidates for election, the remaining candidates then would not be eligible. This screening was not applicable to a person who was holding the office of the President i.e. if the sitting President was also a candidate the number of candidates would be four. The term of the President was five years to act as Head of State as well as Chief Executivesolely responsible for country's administration. Governor and Minister were appointed and removed by him. He was eligible to promulgate Ordinances and veto against legislated laws only override able by two-thirds of the National Assembly. However, the President was not empowered to dissolve the Assembly except at the cost of his office also. On a charge of violating the Constitution or gross misconduct the President might be impeached by the National Assembly for which one-third of the total members of the National Assembly must give written notice to the Speaker for the removal of the President. The President was to be removed from office if the resolution for impeachment was passed by votes of not less than three-fourths of the total members of the Assembly. A significant feature of the impeachment procedure was that if the resolution for removal of the President fails to obtain one-half of the total number of members of the National Assembly the movers of the resolution would cease to be members of the Assembly. There was no restriction of religion for a person holding the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly. Secondly, if the President resigns from his office or vote of no-confidence passes against him, then according to the Constitution the Speaker would act as the President of the State till the election of new President. Under these special circumstances, a non-Muslim might get the chance to be an acting President of Pakistan. The Constitution of 1962 provided for elections of the Central and Provincial Legislatures for a term of five years. The members of the Assemblies were elected by the Basic Democrats. The National Assembly was exclusively empowered to legislate for the central subjects. However, it could legislate on matters falling under provincial jurisdiction. The power to impose taxes was laid with the central legislature. The Assembly had to serve as a court in the cases of impeachment, conviction or declaring the President as incapacitated. It could amend the Constitution, but with two-thirds majority. However, if the President's veto was over-ridden, he had the right to ask for the assent of the Electoral College. The procedure of the Provincial Assemblies was identical with that of the National Assembly. Urdu and Bengali were recognized as national languages.

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Salient Features 1) Written Constitution The Constitution of 1962 was a written document. It consisted of five schedules and 250 articles. 2) Rigid Constitution This is a rigid constitution. This is a rigid constitution can only be amended through a particular process. If an amendment to the constitution is passed by at least two-third majority of the parliament then it becomes a part of law after authentication by the President. 3) Federal System A federal system was introduced in the country. It consisted of a central government and two provincial government comprising East and West Pakistan. 4) Presidential forum of Government President was the head Executive of the nation. He was empowered to nominate the ministers of his cabinet. 5) Unicameral Legislature 6) Indirect Method of Election The President was elected by an Electoral College comprising 80,000 Basic Democrats, equally distributed between the two provinces. 7) Provincial Governments There were two provincial governments. Each of them was headed by a governor. He enjoyed powers in the province which the President enjoyed in the center. The Governor was empowered to appoint provincial ministers with the sanction of the President of Pakistan. 8) Provincial Legislature Each province was provided with a legislature. It originally consisted of 150 members. However, later on this number was increased to 218. 9) Powers of President According to the 1962 Constitution the President should be a Muslim with the term of 5 years. He was eligible to promulgate Ordinances and veto against legislated laws only override-able by two/thirds of the National Assembly. However, the President was not empowered to dissolve the Assembly except the cost of his office also. 10) Restrictions to the President The President was not allowed to hold any office of profit in the service of Pakistan but was not prevented from holding a managing private property. 11) Islamic Law No Law would be passed against the teaching of Quran and Sunnah and the existing laws would be made Islamic in character. 12) Fundamental Rights The constitution of 1962 laid down fundamental rights of speech and expression, freedom to choose profession and freedom to profess religion. With Regards to civil rights, familiar right such as the rights of life, livery and property were granted. 13) Role of Judiciary The Judiciary was responsible for the interpretation of laws and executive orders in the light of the principles emboided in a written constitution.

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14) Language Urdu and Bengali were recognized as National Languages. Islamic provisions The preamble of the Constitution of 1962 was based on the Objectives Resolution. The Constitution laid down simply that the state of Pakistan shall be a republic under the name of Republic of Pakistan'. The word 'Islamic' was dropped in this Constitution. But when the National Assembly met in June 1962, there was a demand that the word 'Islamic' should be re-introduced. There was some justification for this demand. If Islamic provisions were to be maintained there was no reason why the republic should not be designated an Islamic republic. The first amendment (December 1962) therefore rectified this article. According to the principles of policy, steps were to be taken to enable the Muslims of Pakistan individually and collectively, to order their lives in accordance with the fundamental principles and basic concepts of Islam, and should be provided with facilities whereby they may be enabled to understand the meaning of life according to those principles and concepts. No law shall be enacted which is repugnant to the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Qur'an and Sunnah and all existing laws shall be brought in conformity with the Qur'an and Sunnah. Only a Muslim could be qualified for the election as President. Teaching of the Quran and Islamiyat to the Muslims of Pakistan was made compulsory. Proper organisation of Zakat, waqf, and mosques was ensured. Practical steps were to be taken to eradicate what were seen as social evils by Islam, such as the use of alcohol, gambling, etc. A novel Islamic provision in the 1962 Constitution had introduced an 'Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology' to be appointed by the President. The functions of the Council was to make recommendations to the Government as to means which would enable and encourage the Muslims of Pakistan to order their lives in accordance with the principles and concepts of Islam and to examine all laws in force with a view to bring them into conformity with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Qur'an and Sunnah. There shall be an organization to be known as Islamic Research Institute, which shall be established by the President. The function of the Institute was to undertake Islamic Research and Instruction in Islam for the purpose of assisting in the reconstruction of Muslim society on a truly Islamic basis. The state should Endeavour to strengthen the bonds of unity among Muslim countries.

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The Bhutto Government's first achievement was the preparation of a Constitution for the country. The most prominent characteristic of this Constitution was that it accommodated proposals from the opposition parties and hence almost all the major political parties of the country accepted it. The National Assembly approved the 1973 Constitution on April 10, 1973, and it came into effect on August 14. Bhutto took over as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from this date and Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry was appointed as the President of Pakistan. The Constitution of 1973 opens with a Preamble. This is the preliminary part of the Constitution in which broad features of the Constitution have been explained. The first Article of the Constitution declares Pakistan as a Federal Republic to be known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Islam was declared as the State religion of Pakistan. Pakistan was to be a Federation of four federating Units, Punjab, Sindh, N. W. F. P. and Baluchistan.

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1973 CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN The Constitution was parliamentary in nature. Article 41 of the Constitution lay down that the President was to be the Head of the State. The President was to be a Muslim above 45 years of age and was to be elected by a joint sitting of members of the Parliament for 5 years. He could be reelected but could not hold office for more than two terms. The President was to act on the advice of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The President could be removed on the grounds of physical or mental incapacity or impeached on charges of violating the Constitution or gross misconduct. The President was authorized to appoint the Attorney General, Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts, and the Chief Election Commissioners. In the Provincial Government, each province was to have a Governor appointed by the President. The appointment of Federal Ministers and Ministers of the State from amongst the members of the Parliament was at the Prime Minister's disposal. The 1973 Constitution set up a bicameral legislature at the Center consisting of two Houses, the National Assembly and the Senate. The National Assembly consisted of 200 seats elected directly for duration of five years. The President on the advice of the Prime Minister could dissolve the National Assembly. The Senate was to consist of 63 members; each province was to elect 14 members. In the Provincial Government, each province will have a Governor appointed by the President. The Provincial Assembly for each province consisted of 240 seats for the Punjab, 100 seats for Sindh, 80 seats for N. W. F. P., and 40 seats for Baluchistan. The 1973 Constitution provided a free and independent Judiciary. The Constitution guaranteed a right to the citizens; to be protected by law, and imposed two duties on them, loyalty to the Republic and obedience to the law. Any person who was found to abrogate or attempt or conspire to abrogate or subvert the Constitution was to be treated guilty of high treason. The Constitution conferred several kinds of fundamental rights to the people such as the right to life, liberty, equality and freedom of speech, trade and association. The Constitution also declared the laws inconsistent with or in derogatory to fundamental rights as null and void. In light of the previous experience, the Constitution of 1973 was more Islamic in character than the previous ones. Emphasis was made to establish a real Islamic system in all aspects of social life. Keeping this objective in mind, more Islamic provisions were laid down in the Constitution of 1973. The Constitution recognized Islam as the religion of the country and enjoined upon the State to serve the cause of Islam and to bring all existing laws in conformity with Islam. The Islamic Advisory Council was set up to recommend ways and means to bring existing laws of the country in conformity with the Islamic principles. The Constitution of 1973 remained in force for nearly four years. It was, however, suspended by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who imposed Martial Law in the country on July 5, 1979. However, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq who ran the country with Martial Law passed the Eighth

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Amendment in the Constitution in 1985. This Amendment empowered the President to dissolve the National Assembly under Article 58(2) b. This Article was later repealed by the Parliament during Nawaz Sharif's era through Thirteenth Amendment introduced on April 1, 1997. The Thirteenth Amendment was in turn repealed by the Legal Framework Order of 2002, which effectively restored the discretionary powers of the President enacted by the Eighth Amendment.

MAJOR AMENDMENTS IN CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN: January 1, 2011 Constitution (Nineteenth) Amendment Act, 2010 - assented to by the President on January 1, 2011. The text of the Constitution has been updated to reflect this amendment. Constitution (Nineteenth) Amendment Bill, 2010 - passed by the Senate on December 30, 2010. Sections 11, 25, 28 and 29 of the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act, 2006 have been struck down by the Federal Shariat Court. The Federal Government has been given until June 22, 2011 to bring these sections into conformance as determined by the court until which point they remain operative. The declaration part of the judgment is available here. See Dawn's report (which erroneously states that three sections were struck down as opposed to the correct number which is four). Constitution (Nineteenth) Amendment Bill, 2010 - passed by the National Assembly on December 22, 2010. The text of the Constitution presented here has been fully updated to reflect the Eighteenth Amendment.

December 30, 2010

December 22, 2010

December 22, 2010

December 1, 2010

November 26, 2010 Constitution (Eighteenth) Amendment Act, 2010 - assented to by the President on April 19, 2010.

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Seventeen amendments: The Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Act, 2003 was an amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan passed in December 2003, after over a year of political wrangling between supporters and opponents of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. This amendment made many changes to Pakistan's constitution. Many of these changes dealt with the office of the President and the reversal of the effects of the Thirteenth Amendment. Summarized here are brief descriptions of the major points. President Musharraf's Legal Framework Order (LFO) was largely incorporated into the constitution, with a few changes. Article 63(1)(d) of the Constitution to become operative after December 31, 2004. The intent of this was to prohibit a person from holding both a political office (such as that of the President) and an "office of profit" - an office that is typically held by a career government servant, civil or military - such as the office of the Chief of Army Staff. Although this was supposed to separate the two types of office, a loophole - ".. other than an office declared by law .." - allowed Parliament to pass an ordinary law later in 2004 - permitting the President to hold on to the office of Chief of Army Staff, an option that President Musharraf then exercised. Should the President win a majority in a vote of confidence in the electoral college within 30 days of the passage of this amendment, he shall be deemed to be elected to the office of President. (On January 1, 2004, Musharraf won 658 out of 1,170 electoral-college votes - a 56% majority - and was thereby deemed to be elected president.) The President regains the authority to dissolve the National Assembly - and thus effectively to dismiss the Pakistani Prime Minister - but the power to do so is made subject to an approval or veto by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. A Governor's power to dissolve a Provincial Assembly is similarly subject to Supreme Court approval or veto. Article 152A, which dealt with the National Security Council, was annulled. (The legal basis for the NSC is now an ordinary law, the National Security Council Act of 2004.) Ten laws had been added by the LFO to the Sixth Schedule, which is a list of "laws that are not to be altered, repealed or amended without the previous sanction of the President." After this amendment, five of those laws will lose their Sixth Schedule protection after six years. Laws to be unprotected include the four laws that established the system of democratic local governments. (Those in favor of this change have argued that it would enable each province to evolve its own

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systems. Opponents fear that authoritarian provincial governments could disempower or even dismantle the system of local democracies.)

18th Amendment Parliament of Pakistan recently (April 2010) passed the 18th Amendment Bill] that guarantees federal parliamentary system and reduced presidential powers. The 18th Amendment makes several fundamental changes to the Constitution including the renaming of the NWFP province to "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa." In addition, through the amendment, any attempt to subvert, abrogate, or suspend the constitution is now defined as an act of high treason. Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Act, 2010 Passed by the National Assembly: December 22, 2010 Passed by the Senate: December 30, 2010 Assented to by the President: January 1, 2011 A Bill further to amend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan WHEREAS it is expedient further to amend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the purposes hereinafter appearing; It is hereby enacted as follows:1. (1) (2) 2. Short title and commencement: This Act may be called the Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Act, 2010. It shall come into force at once. Amendment of Article 81 of the Constitution:

In the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, hereinafter referred to as the Constitution, in Article 81,(i) in paragraph (a), in sub-paragraph (i), after the word "Court" occurring at the end, the words "and the Islamabad High Court" shall be added; and (ii) for paragraph (b), the following shall be substituted, namely:-

"(b) the administrative expenses, including the remuneration payable to officers and servants, of the Supreme Court, the Islamabad High Court, the department of the Auditor-General, the Office of the Chief Election Commissioner and of the Election Commission and the Secretariats of the Senate and the National Assembly;"

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3.

Amendment of Article 175 of the Constitution:

In the Constitution, in Article 175, for the Explanation, the following shall be substituted, namely:Explanation.- Unless the context otherwise requires, the words "High Court" wherever occurring in the Constitution shall include "Islamabad High Court." 4. Amendment of Article 175A of the Constitution:

In the Constitution, in Article 175A,(a) (i) in clause (2),in paragraph (ii), for the word "two" the word "four" shall be substituted; and

(ii) in paragraph (iii), for the word "two" occurring for the first time, the word "four" shall be susbtituted; (b) (i) in clause (5),for paragraph (iv), the following shall be substituted, namely:-

"(iv) an advocate having not less than fifteen years practice in the High Court to be nominated by the concerned Bar Council for a term of two years:"; and (ii) for the provisos the following shall be substituted, namely:-

Provided that for appointment of the Chief Justice of a High Court the most Senior Judge mentioned in paragraph (ii) shall not be member of the Commission: Provided futher that if for any reason the Chief Justice of a High Court is not available, he shall be substituted by a former Chief Justice or former Judge of that Court, to be nomicated by the Chief Justice of Pakistan in consultation with the four member Judges of the Commission mentioned in paragraph (ii) of clause (2)." (c) in clause (6), in the first proviso, after the word "the" occurring for the first time, the words "Chief Justice and the" shall be inserted; (d) in clause (9), for the full-stop at the end a colon shall be substituted and thereafter the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:-

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Provided that when the National Assembly is dissolved, the total membership of the Parliamentary Committee shall consist of the members of the Senate only mentioned in paragraph (i) and the provisions of this Article shall, mutatis mutandis apply." (e) (i) in clause (12),for the proviso the following shall be substituted, namely:-

Provided that the Committee, for reasons to be recorded, may not confirm the nomination by three-fourth majority of its total membership within the said period:" (ii) after the proviso substituted as aforesaid, the following new provisos shall be inserted, namely:Provided further that if a nomination is not confirmed by the Committee it shall forward its decision with reasons so recorded to the Commission through the Prime Minister: Provided further that if a nomination is not confirmed, the Commission shall send another nomination." (f) for clause (13), the following shall be substituted, namely:-

"(13) The Committee shall send the name of the nominee confirmed by it or deemed to have been confirmed to the Prime Minister who shall forward the same to the President for appointment." (g) clause (15) shall be renumbered as clause (17) and after the existing clause (14), the following new clauses shall be inserted, namely:"(15) The meetings of the Committee shall be held in camera and the record of its proceedings shall be maintained. (16) The provisions of Article 68 shall not apply to the proceedings of the Committee."

5. Amendment of Article 182 of the Constitution: In the Constitution, in Article 182, after the word "Pakistan" the commas, words figure and letter "in consultation with the Judicial Commission as provided in clause (2) of Article 175A," shall be inserted. 6. Amendment of Article 213 of the Constitution: In the Constitution, in Article 213, in clause (2B),(i) for the second proviso, the following shall be substituted, namely:-

Provided further that the total strength of the Parliamentary Committee shall be twelve members out of which one-third shall be from the Senate."

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(ii) in the third proviso, for the words "Parliamentary Committee shall comprise" the words "total membership of the Parliamentary Committe shall consist of" shall be substituted. 7. Amendment of Article 246 of the Constitution.In the Constitution, in Article 246,(i) (ii) (a) (iiia) in paragraph (a), sub-paragraphs (iii) and (iv) shall be omitted. in paragraph (c),after sub-paragraph (iii) the following new sub-paragraph shall be inserted, namely:Tribal Areas adjoining Lakki Marwat District;"

and (b) after sub-paragraph (iv) the following new sub-paragraph shall be inserted, namely:(iva) Tribal Areas adjoining Tank District;"

Constitution written under the government: First seven Amendments were passed during the Government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The Eighth Amendment was passed in 1985 during the Prime Minister ship of Junejo but under the gaze of General Zia. Tenth Amendment was also passed during Junejo government. Twelfth Amendment was passed during the first government of Nawaz Sharif. Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Sixteenth Amendments were passed during the second government of Nawaz Sharif. The Seventeenth Amendment was passed during Jamali Government but obviously at the behest of General Musharraf. Impact on our life: President Asif Zardari President Asif Ali Zardari on January 29, 2010 signed the 'Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill 2009' which the parliament adopted on January 21, 2010 PURDAH: Purdah norms are followed in many communities of Pakistan.It is practiced in various ways, depending on family tradition, region, class, and rural or urban residence. Child marriage/ (Vani) Although the Child Marriages Restraint Act makes it illegal for girls under the age of 16 to be married, instances of child marriages can be found. Vani is a child marriage custom followed in

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tribal areas and the Punjab province. The young girls are forcibly married off in order to resolve the feuds between different clans;[41] the Vani can be avoided if the clan of the girl agrees to pay money, called Deet, to other clans. Swara, Pait likkhi and Addo Baddo are similar tribal and rural customs that often promote marriage of girls in their early teenage years. Watta satta Watta satta is a tribal custom in which brides are traded between two clans. In order for you to marry off your son, you must also have a daughter to marry off in return. If there is no sister to exchange in return for a son's spouse, a cousin, or a distant relative can also do. Even though Islamic law requires that both partners explicitly consent to marriage, women are often forced into marriages arranged by their fathers or tribal leaders. Honor killings A majority of the victims of honor killings are women and the punishments meted out often tend to be lenient.The practice of summary killing of a person suspected of an illicit liaison is known as karo kari in Sindh and Balochistan. In December 2004, the Government passed a bill that made karo kari punishable under the same penal provisions as murder. Many cases of honor killings have been reported against women who marry against their family's wishes, who seek divorce or who have been raped. Marriage to Quran In some parts of Sindh, the practice of marrying a woman to Quran is prevalent among landlords, although this practise is alien to Islam and has no religious basis. The practice is often used by men to keep and grab the land of their sisters and daughters. Education and economic development In Pakistan, the women's access to property, education, employment etc. remains considerably lower compared to men's. The social and cultural context of Pakistani society is predominantly patriarchal. Women have a low percentage of participation in society outside of the family. Education Despite the improvement in Pakistan's literacy rate since its independence, the educational status of Pakistani women is among the lowest in the world. The literacy rate for urban women is more than five times the rate for rural women. The school dropout rate among girls is very high (almost 50 percent), the educational achievements of female students are higher as compared with male students at different levels of education. This is the story of few years ago but now the Education in Pakistan for women is improving rapidly. In the Lahore city there are total 46 public colleges out of which 26 are female colleges and if we talk about the rest of 20 colleges some of them are offer co-education. Similarly the public universities of Pakistan has female enrollment more than boys.

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Employment Patterns of women's employment vary throughout the Muslim world: as of 2005, 16% of Pakistani women were "economically active" (either employed, or unemployed but available to furnish labor), whereas 52% of Indonesian women were. Workforce participation Although women play an active role in Pakistan's economy, their contribution has been grossly underreported in some censuses and surveys.[39] The 1991-92 Labour Force Survey revealed that only about 16% of women aged 10 years and over were in the labour force. The World Bank's reports of 1997 stated that women constituted only 28% of the country's labor force.[51] According to the 1999 report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, only two percent of Pakistani women participate in the formal sector of employment.[52] However, the 1980 agricultural census stated that the women's participation rate in agriculture was 73%. The 19901991 Pakistan Integrated Household Survey indicated that the female labour force participation rate was 45% in rural areas and 17% the urban areas. Pakistani women play a major role in agricultural production, livestock raising and cottage industries. Land and property rights Around 90% of the Pakistani households are headed by men and most female-headed households belong to the poor strata of the society. Women lack ownership of productive resources. Despite women's legal rights to own and inherit property from their families, there are very few women who have access and control over these resources. The violence against women in Pakistan is a major problem. Feminists and women's groups in Pakistan have criticized the Pakistani government and its leaders for whitewashing the persecution of women and trying to suppress information about their plight in the international arena. Skepticism and biased attitudes against women's complaints of violence are common among prosecutors, police officers and medicolegal doctors in Pakistan. According to reports from 1990s, such complaints often face delayed/mishandled processing and inadequate/improper investigations. Dowry Many cases of bride burning due to dowry issues have been reported in Pakistan.[18] The wife is typically doused with kerosene, gasoline, or other flammable liquid, and set alight, leading to death by fire. In some cases, accidents are engineered (such as the tampering of a kitchen stove to cause victim's death) or the victims are set ablaze, claimed to be yet another accident or suicide. According to a

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1999 report, of the sixty "bride-burning" cases that made it to the prosecution stage (though 1,600 cases were actually reported), only two resulted in convictions. However dowry abuse cases are low after 2001. Domestic violence Domestic violence is not explicitly prohibited in Pakistani domestic law and most acts of domestic violence are encompassed by the Qisas and Diyat Ordinance. The police and judges often tend to treat domestic violence as a non-justiciable, private or family matter or, an issue for civil courts, rather than criminal courts. A 1987 study conducted by the Women's Division and another study by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in 1996 suggested that domestic violence takes place in approximately 80 percent of the households in the country. Domestic violence occurs in forms of beatings, sexual violence or torture, mutilation, acid attacks and burning the victim alive. Acid throwing Acid throwing (acid attack or vitriol age) is a form of violent assault. Perpetrators of these attacks throw acid at their victims (usually at their faces), burning them, and damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones. The consequences of these attacks include blindness and permanent scarring of the face and body. These attacks are most common in Cambodia, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other nearby countries. According to Taru Bahl and M.H. Syed, 80% of victims of these acid attacks are female and almost 40% are under 18 years of age. Women in the Islamic Fundamentalist parts of Pakistan, such as the northern reaches around the Swat Valley, who do not cover their faces risk being attacked. The mens theory is if the women wont hide their supposidly 'alluring faces', then they will be made 'too ugly' to be 'alluring to men'. Hijab and Hijab by country Mannequins with traditional Moslem veil at Tira's (Israel) Saturday's market. Pakistan has no laws banning or enforcing the ijb. Surveys conducted in Pakistan show that most women wearing the ijb do so of their own choice. Gender roles The Koran expresses two main views on the role of women. It both stresses the equality of women and men before God in terms of their religious duties (i.e. belief in God and his messenger, praying, fasting, paying zakat (charity), making hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca/ Medina)) and places them "under" the care of men (i.e. men are financially responsible for their wives). In one place it states: "Men are the maintainers and protectors of women, because Allah hath made the one of

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them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women)." The Koran explains that men and women are equal in creation and in the afterlife. Surah an-Nisa' 4:1 states that men and women are created from a single soul (nafs wahidah). One person does not come before the other, one is not superior to the other, and one is not the derivative of the other. A woman is not created for the purpose of a man. Rather, they are both created for the mutual benefit of each other.[Quran 4:34] Nonetheless sexism against women, such as a unfair lack of employment or poor education, remains endemic in the more Islamic Fundamentalist parts of Pakistan, such as the northern reaches around the Swat Valley. Marriage and divorce issues Often, inter-caste marriages in Pakistan are met with violence against the women in the families involved. Women from low Pakistani Castes who try to get an education are looked down upon and sometimes attacked, the case of Ghazala Shaheen being the most infamous one which prompted international outcry The average age of women for marriage has increased from 16.9 years in 1951 to 22.5 years in 2005. A majority of women are married to their close relatives, i.e., first and second cousins. Only 37 percent of married women are not related to their spouses before marriage. The divorce rate in Pakistan is extremely low due to the social stigma attached to it. Women who seek a divorce are also often victims of honor killings.[7] One notable example is the high profile case of Samia Sarwar who was murdered in her lawyer's office on April 6, 1999 by a hitman hired by her family. She was seeking a divorce from her estranged, abusive husband, which was deemed as dishonorable by her family.[75] Due to Samia's father being a prominent figure in the community, the police charged Samia's lawyers, Hina Jilani and Asma Jahangir, with "kidnapping" his daughter. Samia's father additionally "demanded that Hina Jilani and Asma Jahangir be dealt in accordance with tribal and Islamic law'" and be arrested for "misleading women in Pakistan and contributing to the country's bad image abroad. Several people belonging to religious organizations issued fatwas [religious edicts] against both female lawyers and promised to pay rewards to anyone who would kill them. ".[43] Health The health indicators of women in Pakistan are among the worst in the world. Intra-household bias in food distribution leads to nutritional deficiencies among female children. Early marriages of girls, excessive childbearing, lack of control over their own bodies, and a high level of illiteracy adversely affect women's health. More than 40 percent of the total female population are anemic. According to 1998 figures, the female infant mortality rate was higher than that of male children. The maternal mortality rate is also high high, as only 20 percent of women are assisted by a

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trained provider during delivery. Only 9 percent of the women used contraceptives in 1985, however this figure has increased substantially. Women are also at a higher risk of contracting HIV-AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) because of male dominance in sex relations and lack of access to information. Pakistan has taken certain initiatives in the health sector to redress gender imbalances. The SAP was launched in 19921993 to accelerate improvement in the social indicators. Closing the gender gap is the foremost objective of the SAP. The other major initiative is the Prime Minister's program of lady health workers (LHWs). Under this community-based program, 26,584 LHWs in rural areas and 11,967 LHWs in urban areas have been recruited1 to provide basic health care including family planning to women at the grassroots level. Other initiatives include the village-based family planning workers and extended immunization programs, nutritional and child survival, cancer treatment, and increased involvement of media in health education.

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http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A060

http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A072

For further info: Help by this refrences: http://millat.com/democracy/Constitution/briefing_paper_english_16.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Pakistan http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/