ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: The government abruptly prorogued both houses of parliament on Monday, putting the women’s rights bill on ice in what seemed to be a dubious victory for conservatives opposing the proposed amendments.

But Law and Justice Minister Mohammad Wasi Zafar said the National Assembly could be called again even during Ramazan — towards the end of September or early next month — to take up the bill.

The National Assembly had been continuing an unusually long session primarily to pass the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) bill while the Senate was called to session only a week ago to rush the much-vaunted draft through both houses of parliament while President Pervez Musharraf was visiting the United States.

The indefinite adjournment of both houses came amid an apparent deadlock in talks between leaders of the ruling PML and the MMA about more changes to be made in the draft already approved by a bipartisan special select committee to appease the alliance of six religious parties.

But, despite the MMA’s protests over the latest government move, the prorogations in effect signalled the government’s acceptance of the alliance’s demand to defer the bill for another session because of the controversy surrounding it.

The select committee had recommended the bill’s approval with some amendments on Sept 4, but no debate could be held after the MMA threatened to quit from its 66 seats in the National Assembly and withdraw from the PML-led coalition in Balochistan if the bill was passed in the same shape that it regarded as being contrary to Islamic injunctions.

The government dismissed the MMA arguments but the PML leaders engaged in talks with the alliance and agreed to some changes, provoking protests from a key ruling coalition ally, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and the opposition People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), which had joined the select committee and had vowed to support the draft that included some of its amendments. But the MMA raised the ante and said it was not enough.

It was not immediately known if the PML-MMA talks would continue. But one ministerial source said there may be no more appeasement.

Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain used the break for Maghreb prayers to read out a presidential order proroguing the National Assembly after a 46-day session, about 40 minutes after the start of the evening sitting and disposal of only two questions entered for the briefest ‘question hour’ of the current lower house.

None of other items of a substantial schedule for the day, with the legislative agenda topped by the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, which seeks to give relief to women from the widely complained misuse of the Hudood ordinances about Zina (adultery and rape) and Qazf (false accusation of Zina) enforced in 1979 by the then military ruler, General Mohammad Ziaul Haq.

The Senate, which was summoned primarily to take up the same bill after it had been passed by the National Assembly, was prorogued more than an hour later after a seven-day session. But the upper house was immediately called again to meet on Tuesday in response to an opposition requisition for a debate on the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Journalists boycotted both the National Assembly and Senate for the day to protest against Sunday’s police attack on the crew of a private television channel in Lahore and suspension of the airing of the channel by cable operators reportedly on the orders of the Punjab provincial authorities.

The Assembly had been seized with the bill for about a month and its session, which was originally scheduled to end on Aug 25, had been prolonged only to pass the bill.

Its prorogation set off speculation that the draft, as well as some amendments proposed by some religious scholars and agreed to by PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, would wait until after Eidul Fitr.

But Law Minister Wasi Zafar told Dawn: “No. The Assembly could be called towards the end of this month or early next month” (to take up the bill).

PPP’s Naveed Qamar called the bill’s deferment ‘a loss of face’ for the government.

Talking to reporters, he said the PML president should not take it as a victory of his thinking against the bill, adding that it would prove to be harmful.

The National Assembly session, which began on Aug 4, had been marked by bitter debates over a failed opposition no-confidence move against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the sale of Pakistan Steel Mills, flash floods caused by monsoon rains and the killing of Akbar Bugti.

But it did little legislative work because of the lingering controversy on the women’s rights bill. The only bill it passed allowed a six-item ‘one-dish’ meals at wedding parties.