'Every Muslim woman must be considered chaste,' rules Pakistani court

Islamabad: Every Muslim woman must be considered chaste, the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) in Pakistan has ruled, claiming that chastity is a “quality held by someone pure, modest or celibate”. While hearing a case on Tuesday, the Pakistani court further observed that the Islamic concept of ‘Al Ihsan’ requires Muslim men to refrain from questioning a woman’s character without evidence, Dunya News reported. “Chastity is a quality held by someone pure, modest or celibate. A virgin is an example of chastity. Faithful married couples are examples of chastity,” the Federal Shariat Court stated. The Case The court in Pakistan was hearing a petition filed by a woman against a decision of an additional district and session’s judge in the case involving her former husband. During the hearing, the petitioner pleaded that her marriage was dissolved by way of ‘Khula’ in 2017, which later led to litigations over the custody of their two sons before a judge in Chakwal. However, Asad – the ex-husband of the petitioner – while submitting his affidavit before the judge, questioned his former wife’s chastity. A criminal complaint was filed by the woman under Section 8 of the Offence of Qazf (Enforcement of Hadd) Ordinance, 1979 before the session’s judge, but he rejected it after statements of the complainant and two other witnesses were recorded. ‘Apology’ The woman’s former husband later tendered an apology before the court. He also regretted uttering indecent words against his ex-wife. Later on, the additional session’s judge’s order was set aside and the matter was further remanded to the trial court, asking it to deliver a verdict within 90 days. Further, the trial court has been asked to record statements of the complainant and the two witnesses. (With inputs from agencies) Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.