04 June 2004	Friday	15 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

ISLAMABAD, June 3: The bill of honour killings will soon be presented to the cabinet for approval as all the political parties have shown their consensus over the nature of the bill , adviser to the prime minister on women development Nilofar Bakhtiar said.

She was speaking at a 'meet the press programme', organized by the Rawalpindi press club on Thursday. "We have taken every body into confidence during the bill's drafting and sent it to the law division for vetting only after getting it approved from all the quarters concerned," the adviser said.

When asked about the fate of the report prepared by the National Commission on the Status of Women, recommending repealing of Hudood laws, she said the report was also with the law division for vetting. However, it is yet to be discussed at some open forum as there are a number of misunderstandings that can only be removed if the report is debated by all the parties concerned, she said.

Replying to a question about deferment of PPP's Sherry Rehman's bill for women empowerment, the adviser said it was the joint decision of National Assembly committee, representing all political parties, that the members needed to consult their respective parties on the bill.

Replying to a volley of questions, she said in the next financial year, six crisis centres would be set up at Rawalpindi, Kohat, Bannu, Quetta, Karachi and Hyderabad. These crisis centres will offer round-the-clock service, and through a universal access number, women will be able to contact the nearest centre.

The ministry, with the financial assistance of United Nations Development Programme, will set up 10 political schools for the training of women politicians at all levels - local, provincial and national.

Ms Bakhtiar said for the first time, FATA had also been included in various development programmes of the ministry, and only recently, the ministry had launched six such projects.

About the jail reforms in reference to women prisoners, she said the ministry's committee on jail reforms had completed its study and would soon make recommendations. All four provincial capitals and the federal capital have been declared disabled-friendly. And, in the budget, special allocations will be made in this regard to provide special people ore facilities, the adviser said.