KARACHI, Feb 11: Women’s Action Forum will be celebrating the Pakistan Women’s Day on Tuesday. Women from various walks of life — media, professionals and activists — will get together at a seminar to review and take stock of past and present Activism Strategies, says a press release.

It has been of great concern to women of Pakistan that discriminatory and unjust laws brought about through ordinances continue to be imposed. WAF has taken particular notice of the fact that although so many matters are being examined and positive changes being proposed, in areas concerning women not enough has been done.

The proposals of a report of the Commission of Inquiry for Women, prepared for the government of Pakistan, although accepted as a working document, has not been acted upon. WAF is in particular concerned about the laws which continue to impact women’s daily lives.

Legislators, lawyers, law enforcers and the judiciary all agree that laws like the Zina law have many loopholes, and it had made women’s position extremely vulnerable. Despite that, no move has yet been made to repeal them. Within three years of its promulgation almost 4,000 women had in various ways been affected by it. Crime against women have increased manifold since the Hudood laws. These are all clear indications of the destruction of the essence of justice, where even minor girls are in fear of being accused of Zina if they have been abducted.

Women’s Action Forum demands the repeal of all discriminatory laws. These laws were brought through ordinance and can as easily be repealed through another ordinance, the press release concludes.