ISLAMABAD Oct 9: The amended women’s rights protection bill will be presented in the National Assembly and will be passed soon after Eidul Fitr.

This was decided in a meeting chaired by President General Pervez Musharraf at the Rawalpindi camp office decided on Monday, sources said.

According to sources, the meeting decided that the amended draft bill proposed by the ulema panel would be passed.

At the meeting, which lasted more than three and a half hours, the president stressed the need for bi-partisan approach for passing the bill as it was meant purely for the protection of women’s rights.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, secretary-general Mushahid Hussain, Chief Minister of Punjab Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi, Chief Minister of Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Mohammad Yousuf, federal Minister for Law and Justice Chaudhry Wasi Zafar and PML president Amir Muqam.

Chaudhry Shujaat briefed the president about his talks with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leaders and proposals suggested by a nine-member ulema panel.

He also informed the president about the controversy which created because of the out-of-parliament talks which ultimately forced the lower house prorogation.

The president, the sources said, was dismayed over the coalition’s failure in passing the bill as had been planned before his departure to the United States and urged the party leaders to ensure that it was not impeded when it was presented again before the house and re-referred to the house select committee.

There was no official handout about the meeting.