ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has said that in the Holy Quran there is a punishment of 80 lashes for falsely accusing a woman, adding that there is also a punishment under Section 496 of the Pakistani law, but he has never seen anyone getting this punishment.

Addressing a symposium titled ‘Inclusive Justice’ here on Saturday, Justice Isa said that depriving women of their rights is against the Quranic teachings. He said that no religion can be called a religion without the role of women.

The CJP said that the Constitution of Pakistan fully protects the rights of women and their inclusion, but there is a dire need for effective implementation of laws for that.

Talking about the law of inheritance, he said that some men in our society often deprive women of their inheritance rights. The Constitution guarantees the protection of women in the workplace and women are playing an important role in the education sector, Justice Isa said, adding that women should play their role in every sector for the development of the country.

The chief justice said there was a need to make education mandatory for children, from age 6 to 16. He asserted that no country in the world could progress without provision of justice. He was of the view that the performance of several women reaching assemblies on reserved seats was better than that of men.

Justice Isa stressed the need for taking steps so that women could have representation in all walks of life. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said that we have to create a new structure to ensure the inclusion of women in various fields.