KARACHI, Dec 9: The Shia Ulema Council, Karachi chapter, on Saturday described the women protection law as being repugnant to injunctions of Islam in so far as the question of rape and connected matters were concerned, and maintained that the law was bound to encourage obscenity and vulgarity.

City chief of the SUC Allama Naazir Abbas Taqvi, addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club, maintained that the insertion of a new clause in the Act 45 of 1860 was in conflict with Shariah. “A culprit must be punished be it a man or woman,” he said, adding that if a girl aged below 16 was not punished for committing adultery, this would amount to protecting the culprit and patronising the crime.

He said new law would encourage obscenity and the law-enforcement agencies and judiciary would face difficulties in handling the case. “The law cannot check proliferation of this menace,” he said.

Allama Taqvi said the legislation would result in an increase in honour killings.