Saturday, August 19 2006 13:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Lawmakers nursing serious reservations against President Pervez Musharraf's efforts to ease discrimination against women absented themselves in Pakistan's National Assembly yesterday to thwart the introduction of a bill to amend the controversial Hudood laws.

Only 30-40 members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid) were present. The opposition parties, bent on a no-confidence move against the government of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, walked out.

Those walking out included both Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians that wants the Hudood laws totally repealed, not merely changed, and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) that wants to retain the Hudood laws.

Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain adjourned the house for lack of quorum.

Together they pushed back Musharraf's drive to remove elements in the Hudood laws that are widely perceived as being heavily weighed against women.

His executive order two months ago had provided relief to an estimated 1,300 women jailed across the country indefinitely without bail for petty crimes.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi held Prime Minister Aziz and Chief Whip Nasrullah Dreshak responsible for irresponsible behaviour of members who avoided participation in the proceedings.

Niazi, who is spearheading the opposition to the bill within the government, in his talk to newsmen, justified the meagre presence of the treasury members on Friday, the last working day of the week.

Thanks to pressure mounted by Niazi and others, Musharraf had agreed to a watered-down bill last week.

"We are not against the amendments or the bill to empower women but we demonstrated unity in opposition's ranks in view of the coming no-confidence motion," the newspaper quoted Naheed Khan, a senior opposition leader.

MMA deputy secretary general Hafiz Hussain Ahmed claimed nearly 55 MNAs of the ruling alliance are against the government and will support a no-confidence motion in case secret balloting method is adopted. "We do not accept any amendment in the Hudood laws and will not hesitate in taking extreme steps."

Hudood is plural for Arabic "Hud" that means to punish.

The Hudood laws were introduced in 1979 by Zia-ul Haq as part of his Islamisation drive. They have been decried as archaic, but conservative classes across political and social spectrum have tended to defend them.

Musharraf wants to amend them to give the law a human face, his officials say.