No punishment for staring at wife in domestic violence bill: Sharmila Faruqui

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Dr Sharmila Faruqui has strongly denied social media claims suggesting that the recently passed Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2025 criminalises staring or “ogling” at the wife.

The joint sitting of Parliament on Friday passed the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2025, along with the Daanish Schools Authority Bill, 2025, by a majority vote.

The Domestic Violence bill, moved by Dr Sharmila Faruqui, was approved after the House rejected amendments proposed by JUI-F MNA Aliya Kamran and Senator Kamran Murtaza, while accepting amendments introduced by Faruqui herself.

Speaking to ARY News programme Bakhabar Savera, Dr Faruqui clarified that there is no provision in the bill that imposes any punishment on a husband for staring or ogling at his own wife.

She said she had been observing misinformation on social media that had no connection with the actual contents of the bill, adding that even some educated journalists had mocked and misrepresented the legislation without reading it.

Faruqui emphasised that the bill is not limited to women only. “This law is for everyone, including men who are commenting on it without reading it,” she said, adding that those suggesting men should bring their own bill should understand that the legislation already covers them.

She explained that the law also applies to elderly parents who face abuse or inappropriate behaviour from their children, as well as cases where a woman or wife behaves abusively towards a man at home.

“This bill has not been provided protection to women alone,” she reiterated, urging critics to read the legislation carefully before commenting so that correct information reaches the public.

Sharmila Faruqui further clarified that while stalking has been penalised under the bill, stalking does not mean ogling.

She explained that stalking refers to obsessive and controlling behaviour, whether by a husband, brother, or brother-in-law, that causes mental stress, fear, and emotional pain to a woman within their own home or workplace.

“Stalking involves following someone constantly, monitoring their movements, and creating an atmosphere of fear and pressure,” she said, adding that the bill is being wrongly portrayed as criminalising staring.

She suggested that the backlash may be coming from individuals who fear the law because of their own past behaviour, stressing once again that the bill does not mention any punishment for staring.