Basic HTML Version
35
35
In today’s ‘The Nation’, there’s a story about a woman and her two daughters
murdered in their home in Rawalpindi; just below it is another story headlined:
“Youth kills uncle, aunty; another ends life after shooting brother’s wife” and on
the opposite page you can read about: “Cop shot dead; wife, 2 kids strangulated
in Karachi.”
Meanwhile, the opinion pages are still analysing the stoning to death of Farzana
Iqbal near the Lahore High Court while her unscathed husband Iqbal whomurdered
his first wife, is demanding justice for his loss. While it is always dangerous to
stereotype, I can only come to one conclusion: many men in Pakistan don’t value
their women, their
daughters or
any females. We
are, in these
men’s eyes, lesser
beings. It is an
opinion held from
those in the
loftiest of towers to
those living in
humble abodes in
the boondocks
of Pakistan. From
politicians to
paupers, women
are
viewed
as being rather
un impo r t an t .
That the killer of
Benazir Bhutto
is still at large
and Farzana’s
murderers
are
unlikely to face
justice surprises
no one.
Oh
yes,
the
sneering elite
and the peasant
masses raise
their
eyebrows
and sigh with
indignation over the killings, rapes, and abuse meted out to Pakistani women but
until this institutionalised sexism and misogyny is tackled head on women will
continue to take a back seat. Only when they genuinely are able to stand shoulder
to shoulder with their men will we get any chance at all of delivering justice to Dr
Aafia Siddiqui.
Not only has she come to represent all that is wrong with the War on Terror but
she has also become a symbol of everything that is wrong with Pakistani society.
To the long line of male politicians who’ve promised to bring her home, I say don’t
give me your tears for they are worthless.I would love to be proved wrong for the
sake of the female population and for the sake of Aafia.
Not only has she come to represent
all that is wrong with the War on
Terror but she has also become a
symbol of everything that is wrong
with Pakistani society.
To the long line of male politicians
who’ve promised to bring her home,
I say don’t give me your tears for
they are worthless.I would love to
be proved wrong for the sake of
the female population and for the
sake of Aafia.