Amended women’s property rights bill approved by senate panel in Pakistan

Islamabad: Pakistan’s parliamentary committee on the law has approved the amendments to the ‘Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Bill 2021’ by a majority vote after a detailed discussion.

The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice was held under the chairmanship of Senator Syed Ali Zafar at Parliament House and attended by Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem and other officials of the ministry.

The law seeks to protect women’s right of ownership and possession in the property and ensure that their rights are not violated by means of harassment, coercion, force or fraud.

It offers an effective and speedy grievance redressal mechanism under which any woman deprived of ownership of property or possession of her property, may file an appeal to the Ombudsman if no proceedings in a court of law are pending regarding. that property. The Ombudsman, after a preliminary assessment, will seek a report from the deputy commissioner within 15 days and will pass the judgment after going through the record. The Ombudsman will also seek objections from the complainant and her adversaries and will complete a hearing within 60 days.

Step forward

The “Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights (Amendment) Act 2021 is a step forward in the right direction as it puts time restrictions in resolving disputes relating to women’s property” Minahil Khan, a senior research fellow at Research Society of International Law (RSIL), told Gulf News.

The constitution of Pakistan, in its article 23, recognises the property rights of all citizens. However, women who make up half of the country’s population, continue to face legal barriers for women to access, own and administer property. “Over the years it has been observed that women’s property rights have been intrinsically linked to discriminatory practices with many women being deprived of their right to own land,” she said.

The legislative change is a necessary first step towards gender equality but the implementation of such laws remains a challenge due to social, cultural and legal issues. “Enforcing property rights is a challenge for women in Pakistan due to mobility issues, reliance on male relatives who may not be supportive, lack of documentation and socio-cultural practices that lead to women’s diminished roles in land-related matters. Procedural delays in land cases can also impede access to justice” Minahil explained.

Women’s right to own land and property is considered essential for women’s empowerment and greater female labour force participation.

More than 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population lives in rural areas. Rural women are central to the country’s agro-based economy as approximately 75 per cent of women and girls in the labour force are employed in the agriculture sector, according to a 2018 report by UN Women. However, their farm work remains largely unrecognised, unpaid or underpaid. Education, skills training and land rights can help enhance women’s economic security and rights, according to experts.

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