ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Senator from Sindh Rukhsana Zuberi has asked Gen Pervez Musharraf to repeal Hudood Ordinance and all discriminatory laws against women.

She was taking part in a debate on the president's address to the joint session of the parliament in Senate here on Friday evening. The PPP senator said Pakistani women would remember Gen Musharraf for long if he took steps to repeal all anti-women laws. This is not a big task for the president and he can repeal such laws simply by issuing an ordinance.

Hudood laws were a gift of Gen Ziaul Haq, who had ruled the country on the basis of a referendum conducted in the name of Islam, she said. Quoting recent example of Shaista Almani, she said the women of the country were facing various discriminatory laws. She also mentioned the incident in which two girls were allegedly killed by the police in Karachi.

The senator regretted that hundreds of women were languishing in jails on charges under Hudood laws. She said for implementing Islamic laws, there was a need to first reform the judiciary. The character of judges and witnesses should also be in accordance with the Islamic teachings, she added.

Those who used to say Gen Musharraf had increased women's representation in assemblies and this was not even done by a women prime minister Benazir Bhutto in her rule, should know that Ms Bhutto did not have the powers being enjoyed by a military general, she said.

Ms Zuberi said for bringing a change in the laws, a party needed two-third majority which was not available to Ms Bhutto at that time. She also criticized those who were demanding a debate on the issue in the parliament.

"How much time do we require to hold mere debates and speeches on women issues?", she asked. She was of the view that the issue had already been thoroughly discussed and there was a need to repeal these discriminatory laws without any further debate.

She said various women committees and commissions had been formed over the past 20 years to study the Hudood laws and submit recommendations. She said after studying the laws, several religious scholars had declared Hudood laws un-Islamic. She said the National Commission on Status of Women had also recommended repeal of Hudood laws.