The symbolic value of the fight for women’s rights has never been more important. For Mr Pervez Musharraf, the passing of the protection of women’s rights bill by Pakistan’s national assembly is a personal victory. It occasioned an apparent volte-face by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, which has been a major irritant for the president. The six-party Islamic alliance has so far systematically thwarted Mr Musharraf’s attempts to unleash his “enlightened moderation” and earn more friends in the West. The smooth passage of the bill after months of procrastination is, however, not sufficient evidence to think that the mullahs are cowering, or that there is no longer any suspicion in the president’s mind about the issue of rape being blown out of proportion by women seeking to go abroad. The bill had become a prestige issue for the government, especially after the opposition’s attempt to bring a no-confidence motion against the prime minister. The ruling coalition’s success in pushing the bill through a divided house is meant to be read as a sign of the coalition’s strength. Months before the elections next year, the relevance of this message — to the nation and to the international community — can hardly be doubted.

For the voiceless subjects the bill tries to address, the message is even more meaningful. It nullifies the Hudood ordinance’s decree that required a victim of rape to produce four pious Muslims as witnesses to the crime in order to escape charges of adultery. The impact this legislation will have on rape trials can hardly be underestimated, provided the law is allowed to be positively and uniformly implemented throughout the nation. But given how deeply rooted the conservative forces are in Pakistani society, particularly in the tribal areas, this could prove to be a difficult task. Mr Musharraf’s other pro-women measures, such as increasing female representation in the provincial legislatures, have evoked violent public responses precisely for this reason. The antidote to this conservatism lies in the military regime’s waning dependence on fundamentalists for support. But the president’s persistent emphasis on ‘genuine’ Islamization shows that this may not be easy, especially before an election year. In the end, Mr Musharraf will have satisfied neither his female subjects nor the mufti.