HYDERABAD, Dec 4: Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly and a central leader of the MMA, Dr Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, has announced his resignation from the National Assembly in protest against the passage of the Protection of Women Act by parliament.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Monday, he said the act was passed when he was in Alwer (India) to attend the Urs of Hazrat Shah Ruknuddin. He said the `so-called’ women protection act was repugnant to Islam and was aimed at exploiting women, promoting promiscuity and obscenity.

He said the enforcement of this act would convert Pakistan into a `free sex zone’.

He said in protest against the passage of this Act, he had submitted his resignation from the National Assembly to his party chief, Sahibzada Shah Mohammad Anas Noorani.

He said the parliamentary committee of the MMA would meet on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss a proposal that all members of the alliance should submit resignations to the speaker of the National Assembly.

He, however, warned the government that MMA lawmakers, after tendering resignations, will not sit back and relax, but launch a movement throughout the country, the like of which has never been seen before in Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

New regional order
Updated 11 May, 2026

New regional order

The fact is that the US has only one true security commitment in the Middle East — Israel.
A better start
11 May, 2026

A better start

THE first 1,000 days of a child’s life often shape decades to come. In Pakistan, where chronic malnutrition has...
Widening gap
11 May, 2026

Widening gap

PAKISTAN’S monthly trade deficit ballooned to $4.07bn last month, its highest level since June 2022, further...
Momentary relief
Updated 10 May, 2026

Momentary relief

THE IMF’s approval of the latest review of Pakistan’s ongoing Fund programme comes at a moment of growing global...
India’s global shame
10 May, 2026

India’s global shame

INDIA’s rabid streak is at an all-time high. Prejudice is now an organised movement to erase religious freedoms ...
Aurat March restrictions
Updated 10 May, 2026

Aurat March restrictions

The message could not have been clearer: women may gather, but only if they remain politically harmless.