An Analysis of Women Laws in Pakistan Theory and Practice

Pakistani society is known to be a patriarchal society with men dominating every aspect of human life. As a result, women based on their gender identity have to suffer. To empower the women, various laws have been introduced in the country. The study focuses on two major laws introduced in Pakistan, (i.e. Hudood Laws 1979 by Zia-ul-Haq and Women Protection Act 2006 by Pervez Musharraf) to analyze their impact (both positive and negative) upon the legal status of women. The study tries to find the answer to the question that how far the laws protected the women and empowered them, whether the laws strengthened the legal position of the women or they (the women) had to suffer more and more. The study implies a qualitative method of analysis of various reported cases by screening mentioned laws to determine their validity in terms of women empowerment. The study concluded that though various laws were introduced for the empowerment of women in Pakistan the laws were either misinterpreted or misused when it comes to protecting women, even the courts, especially the lower ones failed to understand the true spirit of laws and their judgments were frequently set aside by superior courts (High Courts, Federal Shariat Court and Supreme Court), therefore, the women are in dire need of more practical approach towards the implementation of the laws.