This year Punjab approved a law in Pakistan which gives women protection and escape from abusive husbands, but it has been strongly opposed by the Council of Islamic Ideology.
The council, also Known as CII believes that it is "un –Islamic" for a women to leave an abusive relationship and look for escape.
Council said it wanted to spread its own proposal before the bill is expanded in other parts of Pakistan whose draft is now complete. The draft also contains a law opposing the new one in favour of women. It says — husbands should be allowed to "lightly beat" their wives.
"A husband should be allowed to lightly beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires; turns down demand of intercourse without any religious excuse or does not take bath after intercourse or menstrual periods," the report states, according to Pakistan's Express-Tribune newspaper.
-by Bhaskar Raghavendran
Bhaskar is a graduate in Journalism and mass communication and a reporter at NewsGram. Twitter handle: bhaskar_ragha
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