Imrana: Advani calls for uniform personal laws

BJP president L.K. Advani today called for a campaign for uniform personal laws and said the Imrana episode showed that it was imperative fo...

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BJP president L.K. Advani today called for a campaign for uniform personal laws and said the Imrana episode showed that it was imperative for the nation to have every person equal before law.

Addressing party workers at Raja Bhoj airport, Advani said double standards should be done away with. ‘‘If a Muslim is proud of his religious identity, it is all right, but when a Hindu says he is proud of being a Hindu, he is branded communal,” he said, adding, he was “Proud of being a Hindu.”

Advani is here to inaugurate the two-day working committee meeting of the party.

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On his recent Pakistan visit, Advani said he was surprised when he was invited for inaugurating a temple at Katas. ‘‘I told them your founder (Jinnah) wanted the nation to be secular but that did not happen and that if a beginning was being made, it was welcome,” he said.

Advani said even in Islamic countries, changes were being in personal laws. ‘‘If things can change in the Islamic world and even in our neighbourhood, why not India?” he wondered.

Trying to draw a parallel between Imrana and Shah Bano cases, Advani said even then, the BJP was at the centrestage of a nationwide campaign for uniform personal laws. ‘‘The party will play a crucial role in the Imrana case too,” he said.

Meanwhile…

Imrana fails to appear before Shariat court
A day after pledging to abide by Shariat, the woman who alleged that she was raped by her father-in-law, on Friday failed to appear before the religious court. “Neither Imrana nor her parents appeared before the court,” said Mufti Zulfiqar, one of the nine members of the court. The court did not issue any fresh date or summons to Imrana.

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Change law but only after consensus: Ajit Singh
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh said if Muslim personal laws have to be changed, it should be through consensus. He dismissed the possibility of enforcing a common civil code.

Cong seeks punishment
The memory of the political fall-out of the Shah Bano case still fresh in its memory, the Congress on Friday demanded strict punishment for the guilty. Party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said the case involved criminal law and not the personal law of any community.