Is Staring at Your Wife Now a Punishable Crime in Pakistan?

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Dr. Sharmila Faruqui has rejected social media claims suggesting that the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2025 criminalizes staring or “ogling” at one’s wife.

The joint sitting of Parliament on Friday approved the Domestic Violence Bill, 2025, along with the Daanish Schools Authority Bill, 2025, by a majority vote.

Dr. Faruqui had moved the Domestic Violence Bill, which passed after the House rejected amendments proposed by JUI-F MNA Aliya Kamran and Senator Kamran Murtaza while accepting amendments introduced by Faruqui herself.

Speaking on ARY News’ program Bakhabar Savera, Dr. Faruqui clarified that the bill contains no provision punishing husbands for staring at their wives. She said misinformation about the law had spread on social media, with even some journalists mocking the legislation without reading it.

She stressed that the bill is not limited to protecting women. “This law applies to everyone, including men commenting on it without reading it,” she said, adding that those suggesting men should introduce their own legislation misunderstand the law’s scope.

Dr. Faruqui also explained that the law covers elderly parents facing abuse from their children, as well as cases where women behave abusively toward men at home.

“This bill does not provide protection to women alone,” she said, urging critics to read the legislation carefully before commenting to ensure accurate information reaches the public.