Pakistan's ruling party plans to pass long-delayed legislation against "honor killings" within weeks in the wake of the high-profile murder of an outspoken social media star, the daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday.
The bill will go before a parliamentary committee as early as Thursday, said Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who is an increasingly influential member of her father's ruling party.
The government has faced mounting pressure to pass the law against murders carried out by people professing to be acting in defense of the honor of their family.
The law would remove a loophole that allows other family members to pardon a killer.
Some 500 women are killed each year in Pakistan at the hands of family members over perceived damage to "honor" that can involve eloping, fraternizing with men or any other infraction against conservative values that govern women's modesty.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif said the government wanted to pass the law unanimously and had been negotiating with religious parties in parliament.
"We have finalised the draft law in the light of negotiations," she told Reuters in an interview. "The final draft will be presented to a committee of joint session of parliament on July 21 for consideration and approval."
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pa...-idUSKCN1001HQ
I can't post the whole article but it's important to note that the Council of Islamic Ideology is opposing the removal of that loophole mentioned earlier.
Also Pakistan's first ever Ocscar winner, a female called Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy hope the law passes. She won an Oscar for her documentary about honor killings in Pakistan.
progress
