Musharraf plays the Christian card to please West

Most of these sentences, however, were overturned by the superior courts butin some cases, Christians were attacked and killed even before their casecould come to the higher courts by enraged Muslim mobs.

Speaking at the inauguration of a convention on Human Rights and HumanDignity aimed at ensuring rights and better living conditions for children,women and minorities, Musharraf said blasphemy laws enacted by formerstrongman Gen Zia ul-Haq that provided the death penalty for blasphemy hadbeen grossly abused.

He said that in future cases blasphemy would only be registered after adeputy commissioner of a district had carried out a full investigation intothe allegation.

Musharraf also said all “honor killings” will henceforward be regarded asmurder and those responsible for the killings would be punished accordingly. “Honor killings are against religion and law,” he said.

“Honor killings” involving young girls who marry against the wishes of their parents have been on the rise in recent years and in one case was condoned by the courts.

Honour killings — when families kill a female relative considered to haveshamed the household — are common in Pakistan, but drew public notice ayear ago when Samia Imran, a woman seeking divorce, was gunned down in herlawyer’s office. No arrests have been made in the case.

Musharraf also announced a crackdown on bonded labour and said his government would ban indiscriminate use of fetters in prisons and while producing prisoners in courts. Musharraf later told reporters his government would soon lift a ban on political rallies and gatherings.

Musharraf’s statement is considered a major leap forward in Pakistan, wherewomen routinely are killed in the name of honor, millions of children areput to work, and members of minority religions are jailed on accusations ofdefaming Islam.

“We want a human rights package to ensure that the human rights and freedomof every Pakistani is safeguarded and guaranteed by the state,” Musharrafsaid. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said last month in its 1999 report that women, children and minorities suffered the worst abuses and that this poor nation of 140 million ended the decade worse off than it began.

Musharraf announced the setting up of a commission on the status of womenand a commission to reform the police, widely criticised for excesses,corruption and inefficiencies.

“This is the first time ever that Pakistan will have a permanent andindependent commission…to ensure that interests of women are protected andpromoted,” he said.