PESHAWAR, March 17: NWFP police chief Muhammad Riffat Pasha on Friday directed district police officers (DPOs) not to allow anyone to photograph under-trial women in cases relating to the Hudood Ordinance.

The provincial police officer (PPO) has issued a circular directing all the DPOs and deputy inspector general (DIG) to communicate the order to all the subordinate police officers.

He also directed that nobody should be allowed to take pictures of women in police stations.

Mr Pasha issued the directives during a meeting with a delegation of the Aurat Foundation.

The group informed him about non-implementation of recent amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) related to dealing with cases of women arrested under the Hudood Ordinance. They also expressed concern over photographing women by press photographers in police stations.

The delegation comprised MPA Farah Aqil Shah the resident director of Aurat Foundation, Rukhshanda Naz, minority leader Dr Stephen Saleem and Advocate Akber Khan.

The visitors stated that under Section 156-B of the CrPC, incorporated on Jan 11, 2005, no woman could be arrested on charges of adultery or fornication without prior approval of the court and investigation into her case could only be conducted by a police officer not below the rank of the superintendent of police.

Mr Pasha informed that due to certain problems, these amendments could not be fully implemented.

He informed that they had taken various steps for encouraging women to come forward and register complaints of violence and oppression against them.

He informed that they had now deputed women officers at Rescue 15 centres in Hayatabad and East Cantonment police station following which the number of women complainants were on the rise.

The police officer said they had been taking extra care in cases filed under the Zina ordinance as in different cases parents had charged their adult daughters contracting marriage of their choice. Due to non-registration of divorce between a couple, he said, often women were charged with adultery by their former husbands after the women contracted second marriages.

Through another circular, the police chief directed the DPOs to take note of growing obscenity in misuse of internet clubs and music centres and playing of music in public buses.