Pakistan since 1979 has been transformed into an amalgamation of often contradictory political enterprises which retain two cohesive strands: the articulation of divergent views on the rights of women and rhetoric to incorporate more laws and institutions derived from Islam. The debate over what constitutes accepted roles and rights of women finds different constituencies deeply divided. This debate has been particularly poignant over the past few years as Pakistan has seen reserved parliamentary seats for women revived, the revision of the Hudood Laws which resulted in the Protection of Women Act 2006, and Pakistan’s CEDAW Report submitted and successfully defended before the Division for the Advancement of Women at the United Nations. Consensus, however, remains elusive in identifying what constitutes women’s rights in Pakistan.Ongoing political crises have important ramifications for promoting related legislation such as in the case of another recent bill on women’s rights – to ban anti-women practices such as forced marriages, marriage in exchange for vengeance, and deprivation of women’s inheritance – which has languished after being submitted to the National Assembly nearly two years ago. Various groups, particularly Islamist opposition parties, are calling for legislation purportedly based on Islam that would limit women’s rights and access in fundamental ways. The relatively new PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) administration actively advocates for women’s empowerment, though its track record thus far remains limited in this regard. This paper will review key features of recent legislation promoting women’s rights in Pakistan, will explore the controversies surrounding this legislation as well as elaborate upon ongoing challenges, particularly by Islamist groups, to promote women’s rights through legislation further in the country.