Women are being harassed, molested,
raped, burnt, tortured, and killed in Pakistan every
day. Why is this happening? It almost seems as if
the country is in a state of war: one gender waging
a war upon the other. Things may be politically relatively
calm in the country but women are in a state of emergency
and nobody seems willing to do anything about it.
To be honest, if fifty percent of the nation fears
for their lives every time they step out of their
houses, and more often than not, lack security and
safety even when in their own homes, how can we expect
this country to experience anything but unrest and
turmoil at every level of society?
The names go on like a grisly
roll call of women from all walks of life whose lives
were changed by horrific hatred and cruelty: the women
made to strip naked and walk through the streets of
Bahawalpur. Mukhtaran Mai. Saima Sarwar. Shaista Almani.
Fakhra Khar.. The latest victims to have reached the
front pages of our newspaper are Hajra and Sassi,
a five and eight year old girl who were abducted,
assaulted, and shot and beaten to death. These are
the famous cases. There are hundreds more who aren’t
anywhere as famous, but their suffering is no less
graphic. There are thousands who undergo some kind
of violence even if it does not end in death. And
there are millions for whom domestic violence, physical,
or emotional abuse is the status quo. Is this an acceptable
state of affairs for Pakistan’s women? Is there
something in our Constitution which states that women
will be abused if they are citizens of Pakistan, and
nobody necessarily has to be held accountable?
The women of Pakistan have good
reason to think that a war is
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