ISLAMABAD, Aug 20: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Sunday that the bill to protect women’s rights, formulated in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah, would be tabled in the National Assembly at 5pm on Monday.

The prime minister was talking to a delegation of nazims and naib nazims of Rawalpindi district at the Prime Minister House here.

‘The Protection of Women Bill 2006’ would ensure the rights of women and provide them more chances to play an active role in the national development, he said, adding that the government did not even think of enacting any law contrary to the Quran and Sunnah.

“Protection of women rights is the prime objective of the government, and there is no question of enacting laws that are repugnant to the injunctions of the Holy Quran and Sunnah,” said Mr Aziz.

He said the government wanted to provide equal rights to women, while remaining within the fold of Islamic values. Once approved, the law would enable women to live with honour and respect in the country, he added.

The prime minister said that the Pakistan Muslim League and its allied parties were making sincere efforts for country’s progress and solving people’s problems. He said all decisions taken by the government were in national interest for the overall development of the country.

A number of development projects had been started by the government to provide basic needs of life at the doorsteps of the masses, he said.

“Pakistan of today is different from the Pakistan seven years ago when everyone was calling it a failed state,” he said.—APP

Our Staff Reporter adds: After its failure to complete the quorum on Friday, the government took steps to ensure presence of maximum number of coalition parties’ legislators in the lower house. Sources said that ministers and parliamentary secretaries had been directed to keep in touch with legislators under their influence to ensure their attendance.

The sources said that at a meeting with local party leaders on Sunday, the prime minister had directed PML’s chief whip Nasrullah Dareshak to contact all MNAs to ensure their presence in the house at the time the bill would be tabled.

The meeting also decided that any if party legislator did not appear in the house without a tangible reason, he would be considered for action.