harming a woman or girl in any way in order to make it sink into the minds of the country that women have a value far beyond what they can fetch in mere dowry or salary. He would enact capital punishment upon offenders such as the murderer of Hajra and Sassi, in order to send a strong message that such acts will not be tolerated in Pakistani society, as they go against every kind of human, Islamic, and moral value in existence.
      But this is not a perfect world, and I doubt that any of this will happen as soon as it needs to. In fact I am sure there are people who would scoff at the forcefulness of the argument, saying that the ideas are impractical, the mullahs would never agree, the police would never comply, and so on and so forth. I disagree with this way of thinking. I believe that if we made the protection of women our top priority, above whatever priorities and goals our successive governments have been working toward, doors would open, opposition would quiet down, and the impossible would turn into the possible. How many of you out there are willing to stand up for the weak and the dispossessed? How much is too much against our girls and our women? How long are you willing to wait before tragedy strikes at the heart of your home and family? Because as long as you have anyone of the female gender in your home, under your protection, you are no more immune to gender crime and violence than anyone else in this country.