GIVEN the fact that we live in a deeply patriarchal society, I do not agree with the respectable Maulana Sahibzada Zahid Mehmood Qasmi in his demand to the Council of Islamic Ideology to come up with suggestions to protect men from torture by their wives.

Any steps in this direction may thwart the hectic efforts of various rights groups and our legislatures to achieve gender parity in the last couple of years.

Gender discrimination in Pakistan is critically high and it has long lasting socio-economic impacts.

Socio-cultural constraints have overshadowed our existing women-friendly laws and the state seems unsuccessful in implementing these laws in letter and spirit.

The plight of women is already miserable enough; any such step – which attempts to diminish the gendered, patriarchal nature of domestic violence – will only impede the quest to achieve gender equality as mandated by the Constitution.

It has been clearly laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan that “...there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone.”

Shujaat Ali Zoro

Lahore

Published in Dawn December 10th, 2016