The Zina Ordinance is part of the Hadood Ordinances that were promulgated in 1979 by the military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq a self-proclaimed president of Pakistan. Since then, tens of thousands of Pakistani women have been charged and incarcerated under the Zina Ordinance, which governs illicit sex - both adultery and fornication in general. Although most of these women are subsequently released for lack of evidence, they spend months or years in jail before trial. Despite international calls for its repeal, these laws still remain in effect.

From 1998 to 2002, Shahnaz Khan...