First visit by Pak women146;s panel

Members of the Pakistan8217;s National Commission for Status of Women would be the first official delegation to visit India with the recent thaw in Indo-Pak relations following the Havana handshake last month. The four-member delegation would be in the capital for three days from November 3, sources said.

One of their main engagements in New Delhi would be to have an interaction with the chairperson and members of the National Commission for Women. The visiting members are Simi Sadaf Kamal, Shahida Haider, Parveen Shah and Suhaila Asif.

Asif is the author of Pakistan8217;s charter on Eradication of Disparities against women, a country specific status report on condition of women that is submitted to the UN.

The commission was set up in 2000 by Pervez Musharraf with the UNDP8217;s help and came into limelight after its opposition to the Hudud rape ordinance, condemned by women8217;s bodies the world over for the injustice it seeks to propagate against rape victims.