Islamists Win Concessions On Rape Laws

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Humanrights groups accused the Pakistani government of caving into pressure from hard-line Islamists Tuesday after it agreed to water down planned amendments to the country's rape laws.

The government agreed to a compromise over proposed changes to a law that has made punishing rapists almost impossible.

The widely criticized Hudood Ordinance, based on Islamic tenets, requires a woman who claims she has been raped to produce four witnesses.

Religious political parties fiercely criticized an amendment to the legislation, which would have dropped the four-witness requirement, calling it un-Islamic. The new proposal, which was due to be voted on last night, would allow rape cases to be tried under either the Islamic four-witness rule or under Pakistan's civil penal code. Rape would remain punishable by death.

The law minister, Wasi Zafar, defended the concession by saying: "If a woman has four witnesses, she can file a case under the Hudood law, or if she does not have witnesses, she can file a case under the penal code."

Islamist parties claimed a victory. An opposition member of parliament, Hafiz Hussain, said: "Now, they have acknowledged that the amendment was in conflict with the Koran."

President Musharraf had earlier assured rights activists he would back moves to amend or repeal the law.