RAWALPINDI, Aug 15: Speakers at a seminar here on Friday called for amendment in the Anti Terrorism Act for redefining violence against women as an act of terrorism.

The seminar on ‘enacting laws for ensuring the rights of women,’ was organized by the Human Rights Association of Pakistan in connection with Madar-i-Millat Year.

National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said Islam was the greatest preacher of human rights. If law, he said, were formulated in the light of Islam, then women, labourers, poor, old, neighbours, friends, enemies would get their respective rights without any struggle or difficulty.

He said there was a dire need for the formulation of more laws for protecting the rights of women and children as well as other downtrodden segments of the society.

The women, he said, should be given equal opportunities for their economic developments as well as for playing their roles as active and participatory members of the society.

Like dowry and Vani he said there were many barbaric traditions in the Pakistani society which must be eliminated. It is the duty of the elites to discourage the practise of money- exhibitions through observing unIslamic traditions, he added.

Presenting his paper on ‘women rights and the need for legislation,’ a lawyer said there was a dire need of law-making as women were still being treated like animals. Violence against women like acid throwing and stove burning, murder, rape are still common in our society, he added.

The condition of women in jail, he said, were more pathetic and miserable where, according to him, the honour and dignity of non of the women was safe.

He said a jail’s superintendent was the ultimate master and ruler of the jail’s affair and no one could challenge his authority. Referring to Sialkot jail tragedy, he said, the incident had been planned by the police in order to put an end to or halt the monthly visits of sessions judges to jail.

With the regular visits of judges to jail, he added, the jail authorities feared the revelation of their crimes and brutalities to mediamen through judges and lawyers.

He said there was dire need of changes in the family law adding that women were still unable to get the dowry or maintenance money for her children from her ex-husbands owing to the complex and money demanding judicial procedure.

Other speakers including Allama Yaqoob Hashmi and Ms Hafza also paid glowing tributes to Fatima Jinnah and her role for the establishment of democracy and achieving the rights of women in the country, which is yet to see any civil society despite 56- year of getting independence.