http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/?p=212517
Being a minority of any persuasion is a trying time in a persons life. Since childhood our instinct is to blend in, to be part of a larger whole. We don't want to be isolated by what makes us different, rather everyone wants to be included and accepted by what makes us similar. But still, as society dictates, some among us are unique--unique enough to warrant a classification of their own by virtue of beliefs, status or disabilities. These groups are the most vulnerable in any society simply because of statistics--they are in a minority. And in a progressive and humane world all vulnerabilities demand protection.
As elementary school children we were taught that the Pakistani flag is symbolic. The green represents the Muslim majority and the white represents the minority faiths. The crescent and the five rayed star represent progress, light and knowledge. Since Pakistan was wrested away from a formidable power against monumental odds to protect the rights of the then Indian religious minority, the muslims, one would think that all minorities in Pakistan would be protected...especially if we specifically have a white band in our flag to remind us of our fight, our promise and obligation. Especially that!
While Islam is the state religion, article 33 of the Constitution of Pakistan declares that ‘the state shall discourage parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian and provincial prejudices among the citizens.’ Amendments made to the Pakistan Penal Code in 1986 during the Zia regime and the “Islamization” of the country strengthened the blasphemy laws and suddenly the 3% of the Pakistani population who were not Muslims--but still law-abiding Pakistani citizens--found themselves in dire straits. Since then around 4000 cases have been reported and around 1000 of them have been registered. The amazing statistic is that half of these cases are against non-muslims who make up only three percent of the population. According to Rizwan Paul, Executive Director of LFA ( Life For All), “around 80 per cent of all these cases have been registered in only eight districts of central Punjab -- Lahore, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Gujrat and Kasur”. This is not where it ends. Around 30 of the accused were horrifically killed by crazed, puritanical mobs, some even while in police custody.
I am not trying to contest or even debate the blasphemy laws. My gripe is with the implementation and blatant abuse of these laws by misguided people with no knowledge, no authority and, most of all, no compassion in their hearts. People should not be living in fear of laws that are meant as protection and as a deterrent to exploitations. The common concept is that anyone, at any time can point a finger and yell “blasphemer” and the witch hunt begins. Some instances rivalling those in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600 where all you needed to burn someone at the stake was an accuser. Neighbors live in fear of neighbors. Accusations are often related to personal grievances, no evidence or witnesses are needed, all you need is a grudge and a cold heart.
But what of the fear of Allah? What about the consequences of bearing false witness? I hope these accusers have their fact sheets in order on the Day of Judgement when we all will have to explain our actions--those who caused such tragedies and those who stood by. And even if one person is accused wrongly and even if one person bore false witness, there will be consequences. Contrary to popular belief, we are all Allah’s creatures regardless of our caste, creed or religion!
Then we hear of an 11 year old sufferer of Down Syndrome thrown in jail for an act that she may or may not have committed and, if she did commit the act, may not be aware of the gravity and implications of it. We learn that a young doctor was accused because he tossed aside a card with the name of a medical representative on it and we wonder who protects them? Allah has promised that he will protect the Quran yet we take it upon ourselves to do the job and let misguided fervor throw us back into the middle-ages. On the other hand, we totally ignored the task that Allah has charged us with...to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I hope that as a society we will have a comprehensive answer for that interrogation or a lot of us will be unpleasantly surprised when we end up in a place much warmer than we expected!
Once upon a time, long, long ago…around four hundred years ago, to be exact, there was a distant land called Mianwali. Two of the tribes were fighting a long, drawn-out war. 800 lives were lost and no end was in sight. At that point both tribes saw that the conflict was not going to end well for either side and decided that a compromise should be reached where either side can call a cessation of hostilities. So naturally, some asinine genius suggested that they should each give women to the other side as a token of their “good faith.” And the rest of the asinine geniuses agreed. And thus was born the disgusting tradition of Vani.
This story in itself is tragic enough, but the horror intensifies when we realize how prevalent it is in this day and age. A shameful incident, which should have been strangled at birth grew and blossomed, blatant, repeated and unchecked.
This is a country that boasts female political leaders, ambassadors, educators, activists, doctors, lawyers….the list goes on. On the flip side of this progressive façade is the complete annihilation of women’s dignity and integrity on multiple levels. Women are traded like animals. Once traded, they loose all identity all hope. Their basic rights lie at the mercy of their masters.
Infant girls are traded as acts of rectification or a gestures of reconciliation. How does a country with any kind of discernible judicial system stand impotently by and do so little to erase this damning tradition?
In Pakistan, all indicators of violence are present: poverty, discrimination, ignorance and social unrest. We can blame one or all of them. But in my opinion, it is the cultural forces and their advocates that are the enemies of women’s dignity and freedom. The tribal leaders who defend these traditions claim that methods like Vani conserve peace and prevent bloodshed but in reality their main function seems to be the preservation of male domination and the total and complete subjugation of women.
Pakistan has laws against all violence against women and it consistently makes feeble attempts to bring the detractors to justice. But even if one abuser goes unpunished, it is inexcusable. It should be acknowledged as a failure of justice, not as a “well, we tried!” scenario. Women are kept away from education and enlightenment. They are brought up to be docile and submitting through conditioning. They are kept away from outside influences and they believe that once they step out of their homes in search of help, they will suffer a more horrible fate than what they are going through now.
The lawmakers in Islamabad have failed their most vulnerable citizens once again! Women are bound with the chains of financial dependence and poor education and these bindings are enforced by violence from the very people who should be protecting them.
Female empowerment is not a curse. It is latent potential waiting to explode. How can a country ever hope to prosper when it tells its women that they are not worth saving? That their life, their dignity, their honor bear no value? They are degraded from the day they are born and become prisoners of “the apartheid of gender,” a term coined by James P. Grant, the former executive director of UNICEF.
Then comes along a news article -- a blog or an Oscar Award winning documentary -- that picks at a scab and exposes the oozing reality of the unreported and ignored violence, which is part of the culture of Pakistan. The world sees it. Let this spur us on out of our apathy and compel us to erase these shameful traditions which have no place in a progressive society.
People who are dedicating their lives to abolish this heinous practice have stated time and time again that reform of the Vani laws and greater commitment from local authorities are crucial for ending the custom.
My question is to the sons of Pakistan and especially to PTI’s Imran Khan, a Mianwali native and a self-proclaimed champion of the masses: do you not hear their cries? The women of Pakistan demand to be saved. They don’t need you to beat a path of gold for them so they can walk up to the door of success. They can do that all by themselves! All they need is for someone to stand in front of them long enough so that they can take that first breath of freedom without choking on sorrow. Once they are on their feet, watch them stand with you and transform this country into the heaven that it was meant to be, when the founders first started fighting for it!
