Equal Before Allah, Unequal Before Man?

405 Pages·2008·20.77 MB·English

To my Dearest Ali, Sango, Isfand and Zara
with all my love and gratitude
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I consider myself fortunate that the subject of my doctoral thesis, is very close to my
heart; it is the story of a Muslim, Pakistani, Pukhtun woman attempting to analyse her
identity amidst the multiplicity of regulatory norms surrounding her. The fact that my
husband and three children have valiantly stood by me and struggled for three years to
make it possible, is proof itself of the diversity of Muslim women's lives. I certainly do
not present the image of the stereotype, oppressed women, we are portrayed to be! My
husband and children have adequately seen to that.
This labour of love, that has been writing the PhD thesis, owes its fruition to many people
and institutions and I owe them all an eternal debt of gratitude.
My special thanks to each and every one. . . .
To my husband Sardar Ali Khan, and children Gulsanga, Isfand, and Zara, who patiently
waited for me to come home, and always had the dinner ready! Who never in these three
years complained about the absent-mindedness of a wife and mother, who worked at the
computer all day and stared vacantly into space in the evenings, supposedly spinning
away new arguments towards the thesis in her head!
To my dear mother, whose love, affection and prayers were always a source of valuable
support and solace, particularly when things weren't going just quite right.
A giant "Thank You" to Ann, for her proficient handling of the word-processing! I didn't
think we would get this far. Thank you for donating your lunch-breaks and for doing it
with such grace and willingness! God bless you!
To my supervisor Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski for his time and invaluable
comments on various drafts.
To an army of friends and colleagues who rallied around me, read drafts of various
chapters and provided very useful comments. I would not be writing the
acknowledgements page had it not been for their unstinting faith in me.
My friend and colleague, Dr. Javed Rehman tops the list of this army. He read the thesis
cover to cover in a record time and maintained a steady stream of emails and phone calls.
Dr. Sureya Subedi, friend, colleague and mentor, who despite his busy schedule always
found time to look at draft chapters and offer valuable comments and encouragement.
I owe a special debt of gratitude to Professor Patrick Birkinshaw, whose rigorous
research methods helped me immensely.
My friends and colleagues, Joshua Castellino and Diamond Ashiagbor, deserves special
mention for reading through draft chapters and for their excellent comments.
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Professor Hilaire McCoubrey, Stuart Toddington, Mike Feintuck, Karen Gresham and
Naz Waseem for reading daft chapters, thesis outlines and innumerable other chores. . .
Thank you!
To Irene Loh for being a very efficient, professional and supportive office mate!
To each and every member of the Law School for their warmth, friendliness and co-
operation in making me feel at home. Thank you all.
My students, colleagues and friends in Pakistan without whose constant flow of
information and materials, the thesis would have been rather impoverished. In particular,
my deepest sense of gratitude to Kamran Arif and Ayesha Shahid.
To the many undergraduate and postgraduate Human Rights students whom I have
tutored over the past three years; the interaction has been rich, and invaluable.
The title of the thesis owes its formulation to Dr. Werner Menski, who some years ago,
when reading my work, made the comment.
To my colleagues at the Faculty of Law, University of Peshawar and the University of
Peshawar for awarding me study leave to undertake the present research.
I would especially like to thank the Association of Commonwealth Universities for
sponsoring me, and the British Council for administering the grant, and providing me with
this excellent opportunity for research.
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AC Appeal Cases
AIR All India Reporter
AJCL American Journal of Comparative Law
AJIL American Journal of International Law
As.YEL Asian Yearbook of International Law
ASIL American Society of International Law
Austll Australian Law Journal
AYIL Australian Year Book on International Law
BDIL British Digest of International Law
BJIL Buffalo Journal of International Law
Buff.LR Buffalo Law Review
BYlL British Year Book of International Law
Cal.WestIll California Western International Law Journal
CBR Canadian Bar Review
CEDAW Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
CERD Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
CHRLR Columbia Human Rights Law Review
CII Council of Islamic Ideology
CLC Civil Law Cases
CLP Current Legal Problems
CMRA Child Marriages Restraint Act
Col.JTL Columbia Journal of Transnational law
CRC Convention on Rights of the Child
DCHD Democratic Commission for Human Development
DMMA Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act
ECHR European Convention on Human Rights
ECOSOC UN Economic and Social Council
EFA Education for All
EHHR European Human Rights Reports
EJIL European Journal of International Law
EPL European Public Law
FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas
FB Full Bench
FCR Frontier Crimes Regulation
GAOR UN General Assembly Official Records
GNP Gross National Product
Harvard.LJ Harvard Law Journal
BILR Harvard Law Review
BRCP Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
BRIJ Human Rights Law Journal
HRQ Human Rights Quarterly
ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
ICJ International Court of Justice
ICLQ International and Comparative Law Quarterly
iv
ICoJ International Commission of Jurists
IHRR International Human Rights Reports
IJIL Indian Journal of International Law
IJSL International Journal of the Sociology of the Law
ILM International Legal Materials
ILO International Labour Organisation
ILR International Law Reports
IMR Infant Mortality Rate
Kar. Karachi
Lah. Lahore
LQR Law Quarterly Review
MERIF' Reports Middle East Research and Information Project Reports
MFLO Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961
MIA Moore's Indian Appeals
MJIL Michigan Journal of International Law
MLD Monthly Law Digest
MLR Modern Law Review
MPL Muslim Personal Law
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
NLR National Law Reporter
NWFP North West Frontier Province
NYLSLR New York Law School Law Review
NYUJILP New York University Journal of International Law and Politics
OAS Organisation of American States
OAU Organisation of African Unity
OIC Organisation of Islamic Conference
PATA Provincially Administered Tribal Areas
PC Privy Council
Pesh. Peshawar
PLD Pakistan Legal Decisions
PLJ Pakistan Law Journal
PML Pakistan Muslim League
PML (N) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sharif
PPP Pakistan Peoples Party
Proc. ASIL Proceedings of the American Society of International Law
Rec des Cours Recueil des Cours de l'Academie de Droit International
SC Supreme Court
SCMR Supreme Court Monthly Review
SD Shariat Decisions
SDPI Sustainable Development Policy Institute
U5MR Under Five Mortality Rate
UDHR Universal Declaration on Human Rights
UNDP United Nations Development Program
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
UNICEF United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
UNTS United Nations Treaty Series
Va.JIL Virginia Journal of International Law
VJTL Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
V
WAFJ Women Against Fundamentalism Journal
WLR Whittier Law Review
WLUML Women Living Under Muslim Law
WSIF Women Studies International Forum
YU Yale Law Journal
YIMEL Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law
YILL Yale Journal of International Law
vi
TABLE OF CASES
Aali v. Additional District Judge I, Quetta 1987 CLC 27.
Abdul Rahim v. Shahida Khan PLD 1984 Sc 329.
AbdulAziz, Cabales & Balkandali v. United Kingdom, 94 Eur. Ct. H.R. (Ser, A)
1985.
Advisory Opinion on the Proposed Amendments to the Naturalization Provisions of
the Political Constitution of Costa Rica, OC-1/82 of 24 September 1982.
Asma Jehangir v. Abdul Waheed, PLD 1997 Lah. 301.
Asma Jehangir v. The Government of the Punjab PLD 1972 SC 139.
Ato del Avellanal v. Peru, Communication No. 202/1986, 44 UN GOAR Supp. (No.
40) at 96, UN Doc. A/44/40, 1989.
B. Z. Kaikaus v. President of Pakistan PLD 1980 SC 160.
Broeks v. The Netherlands, Communication No. 172/1984, 42 UN GOAR Supp. (No.
40) at 139, UN Doc. A/42/40, 1987.
Bruggemann & Scheuten v. Federal Republic of Germany, 3 Eur. Ct. H.R. Report
244 1977.
Collector of Madura v. Moottoo Ramalinga (1868) 12 MIA 397.
Daulan v. Dossa, 1953 PLD Lah. 332.
Defrenne v. SABENA, Case 43/75 1976 ECR 455.
Dekker v. Stichting Vormingscentrum Voor Jonge Volwassenen (VJV - Centrum)
Plus. Case C-177/88 1991 MLR 27.
Fazal Jan v. Roshan Din PLD 1992 SC 811.
Federation of Pakistan v. Mst. Farishta PLD 1981 SC 120.
Federation of Pakistan v. Saeed Ahmed Khan and others PLD 1974 SC 151.
Gerster v. Freistaat Bayern, Case C-1/95 1997 1RLR 699.
Government of Pakistan v. Zafar Iqbal and others 1992 CLC 219.
Habib Bank v. Mohammed Hussain PLD 1987 Kar. 616.
Haji Bakhtiar Said Mohammed v. Dure-e-Shahwar PLD 1986 FSC 187.
vii
Hasnumiya Dadamiya v. Halimunnissa Hafizullah (1942) 44 Born. L.R.126, (42)
A.B. 128.
Irshad Khan v. Mrs. Parveen Ajaz PLD 1987 Kar. 466.
Johnston v. Ireland, 112 Eur. Ct. H.R. (Ser. A) 1986.
Khurshid Bibi v. Mohammed Amin PLD 1967 SC 97.
Kordeng v. Senator Fur Funanzen, Case C-100/95 1997 IRLR 710.
Lovelace v. Canada, Communication No. R. 6/24, 36 UN GOAR Supp. (No. 40) at
166, UN Doc. A136/40, 1981.
Marckx v. Belgium, 21 Eur. Ct. H.R. (Ser. A) 1979.
Mirza Qamar Raza v. Tahira Begurn and others PLD 1988 Kar. 169.
Mohammed Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum and others AIR 1985 SC 945.
Mohammed Saddiq v. Commissioner, Lahore Division, PLD 1962 Lah. 999.
Mrs. Naseem Firdous v. Punjab Small Industries Corporation PLD 1995 Lah. 584.
Mst. Faiz Begum v. The State 1995 P. Cril 1601.
Mst. Kaneez Fatima v. Wali Mohammed PLD 1993 SC 901.
Mst. Kaniz Fatima v. Wali Mohammed PLD 1989 Lah. 489.
Mst. Noor Jehan Begum v. Abdul Majid Shaida and another Law Notes 1967 (NUC)
SC 15.
Mussarat Uzma Usmani v. Government of Punjab PLD 1987 Lah. 178.
Nek Bakht v. The State PLD 1986 FSC 174.
Noor Muhammad v. The State 1976 PLD Lah.516.
Nurannessa v. Khaje Mohamed (1920) 47 Cal. 537,56 I.C.8.
Nuzhat Jabin v. The State PLD 1996 FSC 15.
Pakistan Post Office v. Settlement Commissioner and others 1987 SCMR 1119.
Rai sa Begum v. Mohammed Hussain 1986 MLD 1418
Rashida Patel v. Federation of Pakistan PLD 1989 FSC 95.
VI"
re Ameerudy-Cziffra and nineteen other Mauritian Women, Communication No. R.
9/35 UN GOAR Supp. (No. 40) at 134, UN Doc. A136/40, 1981.
S. Sharif Ahmed Hashmi v. Chairman, Screening Committee, Lahore and another
1978 SCMR 367.
Saila Begum v. Khadim Hussain 1985 CLC 1869
Safia Bibi v. The State NLR 1985 SD 145.
Shabbir Ahmed v. The State PLD 1983 FSC 110.
Shah Bano v. Iftikhar Muhammad Khan (1957) 2 W.P. 748; PLD 1956 Kar. 363.
Shrin Munir v. Government of Punjab, PLD 1990 SC 295.
State v. Zia-ur-Rehman and others PLD 1973 SC 49.
Syed Mohammed Rizwan v. Mst. Samina Khatoon 1989 SMCR 25.
Vos v. The Netherlands, Communication No. 218/1986, 44 UN GOAR Supp. (No.
40) at 232, UN Doc. A144/40, 1989.
Webb v. Elv10 Air Cargo (UK) Ltd Case C-32/93 1994 ECR 1-3567.
X& Y v. The Netherlands, 91 Eur. Ct. H.R. (Ser. A) 1985.
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TABLES OF TREATIES AND CONVENTIONS
The United Nations Charter UNTS XVI; UKTS 67 (1946); Cmnd 7015.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights GA Res. 2200 (CCI), UN
GOAR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, at 52, UN Doc. A16316 (1966), reprinted in 999
UNTS 171 and 6 ILM 368 (1967).
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights GA Res. 2200
(XXI), UN GOAR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, at 52, UN Doc. A/6316 (1966),
reprinted in 993 UNTS 3 and 6 ILM 360 (1967).
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 16
December 1966, GA Res. 21/2200A GOAR 21st Session, Supp. at 59, UN Doc.
A/6316 (1966), 999 UNTS 302, entered into force 23 March 1976.
Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the
Prostitution of Others, 1949, 96 UNTS 272 (1950).
Convention on the Political Rights of Women, 1952, 193 UNTS 135 (1953).
Convention on the Nationality of Married Women, 1957, 309 UNTS 65 (1957).
Convention on the Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration
of Marriages, 1962, 521 UNTS 231 (1962).
ILO Convention (No.100) concerning equal remuneration for men and women
workers for work of equal value, 29 June 1951, reprinted in 165 UNTS 303 (1951).
Convention Against Discrimination in Education, 1960, 429 UNTS 93 (1960).
European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,
1950, 213 UNTS 221 (1955).
American Convention on Human Rights, 1969, OASTS 1 (1969), reprinted in 9 ILIVI
99 (1970) and in 65 AJIL 679 (1971).
African Charter on Human and peoples' Rights, 1981, OAU Doc.
CAB/LEG67/3/Rev.5 (1981), reprinted in 21 ILA1 58 (1982).
Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, UN G.A. Res. 44/25, reprinted in 28
ILIVI 1448 (1989).
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979,
UN G.A. Res. 34/180, 34 UN GAOR Supp. (No. 710.46) at 193, UN Doc. A/34/46
(1979).
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