State Minister for Religious Affairs Mohammad Shahjahan yesterday said the government is ready to sit with the critics and discuss the matter to remove any confusion about the Women Development Policy.

He alleged that certain quarters are trying to misin-terpret the Women Development Policy making it contradictory to Quran and Sunnah, and creating anarchy in the name of hartal to put the government in an embarrassing situation.

Briefing reporters at his ministry, Shahjahan referred to section 23.5 of the Women Development Policy, which stipulates equal opportunity and share of women in property, employment and trading. The property here does not mean inherited property, he said.

Rather, he said in the light of the Constitution it ensures that a woman being a citizen will have due share in acquiring property, own workplaces and trade and commerce according to her competence.

Shahjahan said this section says that if a woman participates in a joint venture and make investment, she will have her share accordingly. It does not mean anything against Quran and Sunnah.

The state minister also referred to section 25.2 of the policy that ensures full control of a woman on acquired property got through her earning, inheritance, loan, land and marketmanagement.

This section, he said, did not speak about equal rights on inheritance. Rather, it says full control of a woman on her property acquired in accordance of the Muslim Inheritance Law and religiousprovisions.

Shahjahan said what IOJ leader Mufti Maulana Amini says has no links with the reality. The Islamic Foundation, he said, had held a press conference on the Women Development Policy and cleared all aspects of the policy.

The briefing was attended by IJO (faction) chairman Mesbahur Rahman Chowdhury, JP presidium member Mujibur Rahman Juktibadi, AL religious affairs secretary Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and the Secretaries to the Religious Affairs and Women and Children Affairs Ministries.