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  #31  
Old Friday, April 05, 2013
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Women in Islam

Muhammad Uzair Niazi

A woman is an important part of the society, with different duties as a mother, sister, daughter, and wife. Before the emergence of Islam, women were treated in a different way. New born girls were buried right after their birth. Islam emerged as a beacon of light, where women rights were secured and their position was strengthen in the society.

Islam ignited the light of rights and abolished all the dark practices and strengthened the position of women in the society, by associating paradise under the feet of mother, guaranteed a paradise to father who has brought up his daughters with the essence of love, guaranteed paradise to husband who gives care and respect to his wife, and associated sister to get the share in inheritance. Islam gave the women a life equipped with different rights, and both Quran and Hadith clearly mention about the rights of women.

Holy prophet P.B.U.H said, “Among you the most respectable is the one who respects women and the most disrespectable is the one who disrespect the women.” This instruction of the Holy prophet (PBUH) reflects the ground respect and honor for women in Islam. At present the women in our society are facing different problems, with different natures.

The main reason behind these problems is the illiterate society with a weak knowledge about the rights of women that Islam has assigned. Islam has stressed on the rights of women more than any other religion in the world and gave the rights to women before many centuries which one can expect in this modern world.

The rights of women can be further classified in to social, economic, legal, and political. When we talk about the social rights of women, the Holy Prophet P.B.U.H said “Education is mandatory for men and women”. This Hadith reflects that seeking education is not compulsory only for men, but a woman has also the same right to acquire education. There is no gender discrimination in Islam, and emphasizes on the proper deliverance of women rights. During the time of Holy Prophet P.B.U.H women use to come to mosques for getting education and offering prayers. Islam has given the right to a women to present her consent, as a Hadith reflects this point in a very proper way, as once a lady came to Holy prophet P.B.U.H and said that she was forcefully married by her father and she is not happy with her husband, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) dissolved her marriage and emphasized for marring couples by their consent.

This Hadith reflects that the consent of the females is very much important before the marriage. This problem has mounted in the society, as the mostly the women consent is bypassed before marriage. The parents can play an active role by eliminating this practice. Before the advent of Islam there was no concept of inheritance for women. Islam paved the path for women inheritance. Women have the half share of the inheritance as to men in their parent’s property. Islam also lays down stress that a wife has the right to get dower from her husband before starting a matrimonial relation.

On the other hand the husband has the right to give dower to his wife at the time of marriage. It is the duty of the men to fulfill all the needs of women that are considered as the needs of her life. Islam gives women the right to seek employment in order to spend her life properly. If a woman wants to enter in to the job spheres, then she has the right to do so. But if woman is not willing to do a job, then no force must be excreted in order to make her work.

Women enjoy a legal status in the legal and political securities. In the context of law, she is equal as that of men. Islam has given the right of vote to women, as they have the right to vote according to their own choice and will. Hazrat Muhammad PBUH use to consult Hazrat Khadija R.A and Hazrat Ayesha (RA) on various issues, and take their point of view. This means that Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) gave much importance to them and respects their point of view.

It can be rightly said that Islam has equipped the women with social, economical, political, and legal rights. We have forgotten the teachings of Islam, and are not giving equal rights to our women. This has created a situation where the exploitation is done by making them suppressed. Women have the right to have a better access to justice, as at present it is seen that women’s rights are violated every now and then. Islam encapsulates the rights of women in a proper way.

In Islam women enjoys a better position to live their life in a proper way, but our society has bypassed all these teachings regarding the rights of women and has formulated very rigid practices.

These actions have disturbed the social fragment of our society. Being a Muslim it is our duty to establish a deep insight on the women’s rights, which Islam has laid down. Pakistan is a state with majority of Muslims, and Islam as prominent religion, but still our women are not being facilitated by their rights.

Violence against women is deeply rooted in our society, and is affecting our women from all fronts. They are being cornered with the mounting pressure.
They are not enjoying better access to their rights. Our background is supported through our religion as mostly we raise our voices that we follow the teachings of Islam, but in reality we are not paying heat to the rights of women given by Islam. We go for those practices that suit us a lot and are in our own interest. So as a Muslim it is our right to divert our attention towards our women, and equip them with their basic rights. This will help in achieving mile stones in our society, in regard to women rights.

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/category/40/
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  #32  
Old Saturday, April 06, 2013
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The unending honour crimes


Increase in honour killings reflects continuation of primitive attitudes

eleven honour killings made their way into media reports in the first five days of the week. The reports came from regions as diverse as Abbotabad, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas, Larkana and Peshawar. The story is the usual. Man and woman fall in love with each other, family disapproves and kills one or both claiming that it was a matter of “preserving family honour.” ‘Man kills daughter, paramour,’ ‘Man kills wife’ and ‘Man kills handicapped sister’ are the remorseless headlines that garnish the left out borders of the daily news pages. With 4,000 such honour killings reported between 1998 and 2004, it is as if honour killings no longer matter enough to require detailed investigation before reporting. One in eight of the cases did not even make it to the courts. Four lines are enough in most cases and newspapers are not sensitive enough to use pseudonyms for ‘honour crime’ victims.

If the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reports are to be taken as a baseline indicator, then at least 943 women were killed in the name of honour in 2011. The HRCP itself warns that actual numbers were higher. Of these, the purported reasons offered were illicit relations in 595 cases and demanding to marry of own choice in 219 cases. Brothers were the murderers in 180 of the cases while husbands committed the murders in 226 cases. Only 20 women of the women attacked were reported to have been provided medical aid before they died.

The fact that such a primitive and barbaric crime continues to be committed as a duty across Pakistan suggests that the culture on the ground is not changing despite the outcry of various human rights organizations. Controlling women, curbing choice appears to be the diktat that society at large continues to wish to favour despite a law against honour killings having been passed in the year 2004, which made honour killings a crime against the State. On the ground, police officials continue to act as mediators between families and apply Diyat and Qisaas provisions to let the criminals off. In the cases that reach the courts, studies reveal courts are prone to using the “grave and sudden provocation” excuse to let the accused off. It is a known fact that the real motive behind many so-called honour crimes are disputes over property or taking revenge for an enmity but that has not changed the fact honour killings are on the rise. On the one side, this is reflective of a greater exercise of choice on the part of the new generation. On the other, it reflects the rise of extremist attitudes within society. Official discourse still only sanctions ‘rightful marriage’ as that arranged by families and the garb of Islam still shrouds the question of women’s rights in the legal statutes and Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Both law and society need a radical reform for honour killings to be curbed. It is hoped that the government is listening.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/editorials/
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  #33  
Old Sunday, April 14, 2013
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Women’s role in peacekeeping

Muhammad Uzair Niazi

At the concluding stages of the Cold War, scores of domestic armed conflicts mounted up in different areas of the world, hence triggering gigantic bulk of today’s hostilities. Loads of these conflicts emerged in the world’s poorest nation states, where the state capability was fragile with rapid exploitation. Circumstances like this make a government incapable to convey vital needs for the public and can root a state of emergency.

Such conflicts can wipe out the performance of economy and will shift most of the population in to hot waters. Such drastic changes will play a vital role in disturbing the overall economic performance of the country, and will provide a very complex economic condition to people to begin with. Most of the male segment of the society is affected in such conflicts, as majority of them are killed, injured or displaced by such conflicts.

These situations make women to take on additional responsibilities, in order to uplift their family structure. By tradition, women and girls have less admittance than men to education, skills and credit and fewer prospects for employment. Populace in post-conflict situations mainly women and children are predominantly exposed to sexual exploitation and violence. By keeping in view all these conditions, the United Nations Security Council issued a resolution on Women Peace and Security on October 31, 2000. The declaration reaffirms the significant function of women in maintaining and promoting harmony and safekeeping. Particular procedures must be provided in order to guard women and girls from gender-based violence mainly rape and other forms of sexual abuse during armed conflicts. In the past, the practice of peacekeeping begins in 1948 when the first UN military onlookers were deployed to the Middle East.

The peacekeeping missions played a very vital role in different parts of the world, and became the need of the hour as they were the basic ingredient of peace in any conflict oriented situation. The overall international environment has transformed with the passage of time, and as result resulted in peacekeeping operations from different countries. At present many countries of the world are playing a vital role in UN peacekeeping missions, especially women from different countries are vibrantly participating in these missions.

Pakistani women have also played a key role in different peacekeeping missions throughout the world. Presence of more women in peacekeeping forces conveys the message that peace building is the combined responsibility of men and women. Women in the peacekeeping missions play a very important role in stabilizing the overall conflicted environment. Women peacekeepers play a vital role in building a liaison with the community especially with the women. After the induction of women in peacekeeping missions, different problems related to women were solved, as they proved to be a helping hand in such difficult situations.

Women are also the part of the society, and they are also equipped with different solutions that are helpful for the society, so it is important that they must be streamlined in the peacekeeping process in order to achieve peace and harmony with in a conflicted economy. There are countless issues that women prefer to share with only women, so the presence of women peacekeeping forces help in building a strong bond between women of a conflicted country. Pakistan’s involvement in peacekeeping missions in war-affected countries are noteworthy and an inspiring contribution for maintaining of harmony in the world. Women from Pakistan are having dedication towards maintaining peace and paving the way for a better future, during such peace missions.

Female peacekeepers are an equipped imperative as they act as role models in the local environment, inspiring women and girls in often male-dominated societies to move forward for their own rights and for chipping in peace processes. The existence of women help in improving the following areas like empowering women in the host society, escalating the network of information gathering, interviewing survivors of gender-based aggression and interacting with women in societies where women are banned from speaking to men.

The existence of women peacekeepers can also assist to lessen clashes and conflicts, look up access and support for local women, authorize women in the society, and offer an enhanced sense of safety to local population. Function of female peacekeepers comprises analysis of human trafficking, gender based violence, child abuse; mental support and safeguard victims of rape, mental illness and other victims.

The role of women in peacekeeping holds a great importance, as they are able to ensure peace within a society and make stronger the linkage between gender equality and peace. Female peacekeepers have the ability to perform better in different situations of policing. Female police officers in peace missions are also a source of motivation and support for all women. Women in peace making are a growing force, so it is important the women police officers from Pakistan must be encouraged to join peacekeeping missions.
This will help in building a positive image of the country, and will also help in providing an international exposure to our women police officials.

The government must pay heat to this area, so that the percentage of women must get increased in the peacekeeping missions throughout the world.

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/category/40/
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  #34  
Old Friday, April 19, 2013
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Patriarchal ‘benefactors’

By:Nadia Khawaja

South Asian states continue to present women as ‘dependants’

The State has often appeared as a central figure through which discourses about South Asian women are created and understood with the passing of time. Women’s identity and positionality within a state is reflected in its policies which either re-affirm or seek to modify societal notions about gender. On many occasions, women’s issues are annexed by wider government policies, presenting women as residual victims in a schema over which they have very little control. The attitude of South Asian states towards women has evolved with changing socio-political regimes such as movements towards secularism, partition along religious lines and the appearance of influential non state actors like feminist groups.

The essentially male political culture of South Asia can be traced back to the Mughal Era when elite masculinity was synonymous with public relationships of power and control-over knowledge, over material commodities and over women. The wall of the Royal harem became symbolic for the separation between the male and female worlds and men exercised power through a literal and bodily rejection of feminine behaviors. However, a close inspection of the early Mughal history reveals the active participation of women in the political and social arena. A striking example of women’s participation in politics is Maham Anga, Emperor Akbar’s fourth prime minister and wet nurse who held charge of the royal household and state administration. Similarly, Emperor Jehangir’s wife Nur Jehan practically ruled over the Kingdom and edicts were issued under her authority. It is interesting to note that Maham Anga’s “manliness became the cause of her undoing” as noted by Mriducchanda Palit in an article titled Powers Behind The Throne as her willful behavior that allowed her to establish control was seen as “aggressive” by the patriarchal state and she was eventually asked to step down. Palit explains that female figures of authority “worked primarily for the benefit of the male figures around whom they orbited,” and “even when they were seated next to the throne… they moved in the shadow of it’s male occupant.”

The configuration of States as patriarchal protectors of women meant that they operated on agendas that promoted the interests of the State as opposed to the actual welfare of women. After the partition of India and Pakistan both states made efforts to recover missing women and restore them to their families. However, the resistance of many women to return to their original families was ignored and their children were treated like ‘war babies,’ presenting the state as “an abductor” forcibly removing adult women from their homes. The recovery of women became entwined with the establishment of India as a responsible and civilized state able to reclaim what was by rights its own, projecting women’s bodies as properties of the State. In addition, the relation of the abducted woman to national honor invested her with the full responsibility of upholding community honor and essentialised her as a helpless victim of a national dispute.

The State’s role as a ‘giver of values’ through drafting/implementation of legislation allows it to regulate gender identities and practices. The constitutional framework in South Asian countries is based upon the varying markers of a distinct national identity such as religion and language. The struggle of the Indian nation to define itself as a secular state in opposition to an Islamic Pakistan, is exemplified by the highly popular Shahbano case whose judgment served to claim “a society of equals between men and women”. The decision of the court for Shahbano to be provided maintenance by her former husband reflected its struggle to thwart the “injustice done to women in all religions” yet it was eclipsed by the larger concern of national integration. Shahbano’s rejection of the court’s decision in favor of Islamic Law goes to show her characterization as a “pawn” through which powerful masculine institutions such played their various games of honor and shame. The specific description of the ‘woman as wife’ in this case shows how states reaffirm the language which describes women in relation to a masculine subject.

The manner in which the State enacts and exercises various policies has a significant impact on the life of women. Structuring Pakistan as an Islamic Republic, with religion as the unifying principle of national identity, allowed the State to promote norms of behavior that controlled female apparel and conduct in the public sphere. Islamisation policies depicted women primarily as wives and mothers, removing them from the visible public sphere which became exclusively masculine. In contrast, Bangladesh came into existence on the basis of a separate Bengali identity and the mannerisms of the women were symbolic of a ‘cultural difference’ which gave them more freedom “to perform in public”. Although political analyst Naila Kabeer argues that while the secular stance taken by the Bengali State provided greater agency for women, she admits that such a policy became a “weapon for Zia’s political ambition.” The insistence of foreign benefactors such as the United Nations provoked Bangladesh to promote women’s welfare, as a result the “number of parliamentary seats reserved for women was doubled to 30” allowing women to actively participate in the political arena. However, there was a gap between “public declaration” and practice apparent in the “gross inadequacy of public sector funding for women’s programmes” (Kabeer 129) suggesting that the government was only using women to gain political capital. Strategies such as reserving seats for women pose a threat as they present a false notion of improved conditions for women, allowing the patriarchal state to exploit women for their own vested interests. Many of the Bangladeshi state’s projects targeted towards women’s rehabilitation have a preoccupation with female virtue reiterating the conservative societal expectations of women.

Legislation on the property rights of women has served as a signifier of the degree of agency and control granted to women within respective states. The opposition of most Congress leaders to the Hindu Code Bill, on the grounds that it subverted “the dependant position,” constructed women as the ‘other’ in the struggle for Indian nationalism. The Hindu Women’s Right to Property Act 1937 did not apply to agricultural land, excluding women from the capitalist economy and reinstating their position as financial dependants. In Nepal, women can only inherit as daughters if unmarried and over thirty five. In some cases, such as Pakistan, the state has taken corrective measures to remove ‘gender disabilities’ in inheritance laws. The position of women’s groups and stances of urban-educated women to demonstrate outside the assembly chambers, speak on public forums and access leadership positions, has largely contributed to the generally improved inheritance rights women enjoy today. The struggle of women’s groups against the laws mandated by the state present the latter as a phallocratic institution lacking female representation.

The emergence of the State as the most constitutive site of contestation for Indian feminists prevents it from being viewed as a neutral actor. The support of patriarchal and upper caste and majoritarian religious interests has allowed it to be constructed as an opponent to marginalized groups such as women. In contests against the state, especially in the case of Phoolan Devi, the bandit queen turned politician, the official discourse excluded gender issues of any significance. The governance of the State by a predominantly male hierarchy, allowed it to depict Phoolan Devi as a “hysterical woman” as opposed to a “successful female outlaw.” The terms of Phoolan Devi’s surrender signified the threat of embarrassment the Indian State faced on being unable to capture her. The paternalistic manner of their dealings symbolized the state’s view of women as unequal opponents, preventing women from subverting stereotypical gender roles.

With the changing global climate of increased public visibility and emancipation, The South Asian states are making efforts to open up different social arenas for women. However, women’s issues often appear as a facade that the state uses to promote its own political or economic agendas. The constitution of the state as a patriarchal protector allows it to regenerate normative ideas about femininity, placing women in traditional private spheres. Despite, the emergence of women in politics and new legislation that grants them greater agency, South Asian states largely operate within a patriarchal discourse that presents women as dependants of powerful masculine institutions.

The writer is a staff member of Pakistan Today and holds a degree from Mount Holyoke College.

- See more at: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013....foB49Hiw.dpuf
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Old Saturday, April 27, 2013
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Feminism and Islam

By:Nadia Khawaja


An analysis of two different points of view
In their works titled “Women in the Muslim Unconscious” and “Quran and the Woman” Fatna Sabbah and Amina Wadud respectively present contrasting opinions on the roles and depiction of women in Islam. They use the key source of information, the Quran, to validate their arguments. Sabbah suggests that women become ‘objects of religious discourse’ as the bulk of Quranic scripture is addressed to men, forming a power structure in which men regulate and enforce divine law over women. This results from an essential discrepancy between the sacred and the biological analysis of events, and as each occurrence is predetermined by God, women’s natural capacity to give birth and thus be responsible for the expansion of the human race, is undermined. Wadud conversely proposes that the Quran, except on a few occasions, addresses both men and women. According to her, the traditional interpretations of the Quran are shaped by the social/cultural notions of gender, which are separate from the actual content of the religious text. Moreover, the Quran is meant for all mankind and has a “natural adaptive nature of interpretation” meaning that no single explanation is ‘definitive’.

Sabbah suggests that Islam is based on a hierarchal structure of relationships where God has exclusive control over mankind and the male being takes precedence over the female being. Her principal argument relies on the fact that the scripture portrays women to be objects of gratification for men. ‘The existence of God is rooted in the very existence of man’ – the sacred discourse implies that God is omnipotent, attributing the creation of man solely to God’s will and therefore eradicating the woman’s importance in the process of procreation. In fact, Sabbah notes that as per the Islamic rendition of the Adam and Eve story, woman was ‘created from’ man, reinforcing her position as the ‘other’ in Islamic society.

The concept of ‘sacred space’ stretches beyond the Earth and attaining Paradise is made out to be a believer’s ultimate goal. However, in the quest for Paradise, the element of gender inequality arises as many verses pertaining to Paradise appeal to the desires of men. The importance of the earthly woman is reduced and almost obliterated in Paradise by the introduction of the ‘houri’ or the paradisal woman solely created for the pleasure of “those of the right hand”. Sabbah points out that “nowhere in Paradise are the needs of this earthly woman taken into consideration” hence reducing the woman’s significance in the sexual discourse. “The houri is defined in physical terms” and “is created to be a sexual partner for the male believer,” reducing women in general to anatomical objects. The Quranic verses are isolated and read literally by Sabbah as she uses the verse “Enter the Garden, ye and your wives, to be made glad” to suggest that women’s fate is dependant on their husband’s virtues. However, there is a contradiction in this statement as another verse of the Quran reads “and whoso doeth good works, whether male or female, and he (or she) is a believer, such will enter paradise” stressing on the accountability of men and women as individuals.

According to Sabbah, the superiority of men is established in Islam as they are defined as the caretakers of women. Islam, by allowing polygamy or multiple marriages, “encourages the husband to make little emotional investment” and reiterates the woman’s role as a pleasure tool designed to gratify the sexual desires of male. “Mastering the woman means mastering desire” and the woman’s sexual needs are given almost no importance due to their lack of mention in the Quran.

Wadud diverges from Sabbah as she takes similar verses from the Quran and dissects their language in terms of grammar and content to show that divine law is equally applicable to both men and women. Instead of concentrating on the immediate intricacies of the text she presents the idea that “allegorical verses cannot be empirically determined” and draws attention to God’s larger scheme. Her major argument rests on the fact that the verses of the Quran, whether grammatically masculine or feminine refer to both. “Grammatically the ‘nafs’ (self) is feminine… Conceptually, ‘nafs’ is neither masculine nor feminine”. However, her case for gender neutrality in Islamic learning is laid out by comparing it to other religions such as Christianity which states that Eve was created from Adam’s rib. As the Quran excludes any verse specifically stating the aforementioned, Wadud suggests that the important factor is the creation of humanity, not a particular gender.

The crux of Wadud’s argument lies in her assertion that the Quran does not “support a specific and stereotyped role for its characters”. Hence the relations to specific women must be placed in the particular “social, cultural, and historical context” in which they are related. Wadud points out that the Prophet was situated in Arab society, hence in order for the people of the time to comprehend the message, God had to speak in a cultural context they could relate to. Hence, “the references to female characters in the Qur’an use an important cultural idiosyncrasy which demonstrates respect for women.” Women, like men are used to depict models of believers/behavior in Islam.

The relationship between God and the individual is not based on gender as there is no difference in the spiritual capacity of men and women laid out in the Quran. Instead, the distinction between believers is made on the basis of faith as the verse “Whoever does good, from male or female and is a believer, all such will enter Paradise (4:124)” clearly suggests.

Examples of believing women are given, and Wadud suggests that the derived lesson ‘transcends their femaleness’. Unlike, Sabbah’s assertion that Islam removes the significance of women from the process of procreation, Wadud uses Mary’s example in the Quran to assert the opposite. The Quran refers to Mary as ‘one of the qanitin’ (believers-masculine form) instead of the feminine plural, a fact which Wadud uses to reiterate that the teachings from the narratives in the Quran are meant for all humanity.

The discussion of Paradise is also brought up by Wadud who approaches the verses/message of the Quran in an untraditional manner. Her explanation for the verses geared towards sexual gratification of men and the existence of the ‘Hur-ul-Ayn’ (the paradisal woman) is that the Quran at the time of its revelation spoke primarily to ‘prominent patriarchs in a patriarchal society’. The later verses (revealed in the Madinan period) hardly contain any mention of such women and instead lay emphasis on ‘harmony’. However, an essential contradiction arises in Wadud’s argument as she suggests that Quran is an eternal message from God that transcends time, space, gender and social norms yet her argument asks one to contextualize the Quran. This sense of confusion arises because there is no clear indication as to when the Quran can and can not be taken out of a specific context and speak to the entire mankind instead of people in a certain historical time frame or locality.

Unlike Sabbah, Wadud views the Quran as an inclusive text that “adapts to the concept of the modern woman” and instead of giving importance to literal intricacies the “goal has been to emulate certain key principles of human development: justice, equity, harmony”. The traditional patriarchal interpretation of the Quran that suggests “a woman’s subservience to a man” has been made by readers who are situated in social systems that promote these ideals and hence they take advantage of the open-endedness of they Quran by enforcing their own value system in their explanation of it. Wadud further reads the Quran as an accommodative text that does not generalize and “negative terms” “are neither directly nor exclusively associated with women”, encouraging the reader to look at them through a multidimensional lens.

The writer is a staff member of Pakistan Today and holds a degree from Mount Holyoke College.

- See more at: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013....QEF3y2oO.dpuf
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Old Wednesday, May 08, 2013
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Women empowerment
By S M Hali

Women comprise more than 50 percent of Pakistan’s total population. Despite this, on an average, the situation of Pakistani women vis-à-vis men is one of systemic gender subordination, although there have been attempts by the government and enlightened groups to elevate their status in society.

In 2012, the World Economic Forum ranked Chad, Pakistan and Yemen as the worst in their Global Gender Gap Report. Having said that, several Pakistani womenfolk, especially in the rural areas, have suffered due to atrocities, like rape, acid throwing, honour killings, forced marriages, forced prostitution, etc, which were committed on them. So, a major remedy to the problem is women empowerment.
In 1988, Benazir Bhutto became the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the first woman elected to head a Muslim country. During her election campaigns, she voiced concerns over a number of women-related social issues like health and inequality. She announced plans to set up women's police stations, courts and women's development banks. She also promised to repeal the controversial Hudood laws that curtailed the rights of women. However, during her two incomplete terms in office (1988-90 and 1993-96), Benazir did not propose any legislation to improve the welfare services for women, nor was she able to repeal a single one of Ziaul Haq's draconian laws.
It was only in the last regime that landmark development in women rights' legislation and empowerment in Pakistan took place, which was commended by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and, that too, at the international level. On January 29, 2010, the President signed the ‘Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill 2009', which Parliament adopted on January 21, 2010. Two additional bills were signed into law by the President in December 2012, criminalising the primitive practices of vani, watta satta, swara and marriage to Holy Quran, which used women as tradable commodities for the settlement of disputes, in addition to life imprisonment for acid throwing.
Against this backdrop of conventional social biases, policy neglect and lack of necessary exposure, capacity and advocacy skills and women representation and empowerment needed a boost. The need of the hour is drive for change not only from the legislative corridors, but also the civil society organisations, including NGOs, media and opinion leaders, in terms of working closer with women groups and leaders. When push comes to shove, one organisation, Search For Common Ground Pakistan (SFCG)’s endeavour of national level ‘Strengthening Women Parliamentarians in Pakistan for Effective Government’ is noteworthy.
The project aims at empowering and providing an impetus to women political leaders, who can become effective advocates of the cause. It supports current women parliamentarians (provincial level), as well as aspiring women councillors, to improve the larger national population’s awareness and perception of the role of women politicians as effective decision-makers in government and to facilitate them to demonstrate their leadership abilities and dynamism in advocating on a variety of issues at the local, provincial and national levels.
The initiative calls for strategic manoeuvre and its fruition is being ensured by SFCG and Insan Foundation Trust, who jointly organised a ‘National Networking Summit’ as part of their ‘Women’s Initiative for Learning and Leadership (WILL)’ campaign to celebrate the struggles and achievements of women political leaders, especially from the Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh and the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata).
It is imperative to take cognisance of the summit’s strategic objectives, which comprise: setting the context and identifying key issues and perspectives on women’s leadership at all levels of government; exploring ways of enhancing and synergising women leaders’ networks at national and provincial levels; developing an inspirational environment - with the support of women leaders, civil society, government representatives, business and opinion leaders, media and other stakeholders - to support and promote women’s leadership agenda nationwide; and raising general awareness on and advocating for women’s political participation and leadership in Pakistan.
In this milieu, there is an urgent need to proactively engage and fully support Pakistan's women political leaders, as they walk their individual and collective leadership journey, while facing numerous socio-cultural, economic and political challenges in their daily lives. The forthcoming general elections provide the nation a golden opportunity to harness the true potential of Pakistani women's competent and responsible leadership.
The writing on the wall is clear that women's political empowerment is fundamental and their socio-political leadership is inevitable, and it is hard to imagine a constructive and sustainable democratic change in Pakistan, unless women are included in the decision-making processes at all levels of governance. That per se is ‘women empowerment’.

The writer is a former group captain of PAF, who also served as air and naval attaché at Riyadh. Currently, he is a columnist, analyst and host of programme Defence and Diplomacy on PTV.
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Originally Posted by HASEEB ANSARI View Post
Women empowerment
By S M Hali

Women comprise more than 50 percent of Pakistan’s total population. Despite this, on an average, the situation of Pakistani women vis-à-vis men is one of systemic gender subordination, although there have been attempts by the government and enlightened groups to elevate their status in society.

In 2012, the World Economic Forum ranked Chad, Pakistan and Yemen as the worst in their Global Gender Gap Report. Having said that, several Pakistani womenfolk, especially in the rural areas, have suffered due to atrocities, like rape, acid throwing, honour killings, forced marriages, forced prostitution, etc, which were committed on them. So, a major remedy to the problem is women empowerment.
In 1988, Benazir Bhutto became the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the first woman elected to head a Muslim country. During her election campaigns, she voiced concerns over a number of women-related social issues like health and inequality. She announced plans to set up women's police stations, courts and women's development banks. She also promised to repeal the controversial Hudood laws that curtailed the rights of women. However, during her two incomplete terms in office (1988-90 and 1993-96), Benazir did not propose any legislation to improve the welfare services for women, nor was she able to repeal a single one of Ziaul Haq's draconian laws.
It was only in the last regime that landmark development in women rights' legislation and empowerment in Pakistan took place, which was commended by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and, that too, at the international level. On January 29, 2010, the President signed the ‘Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill 2009', which Parliament adopted on January 21, 2010. Two additional bills were signed into law by the President in December 2012, criminalising the primitive practices of vani, watta satta, swara and marriage to Holy Quran, which used women as tradable commodities for the settlement of disputes, in addition to life imprisonment for acid throwing.
Against this backdrop of conventional social biases, policy neglect and lack of necessary exposure, capacity and advocacy skills and women representation and empowerment needed a boost. The need of the hour is drive for change not only from the legislative corridors, but also the civil society organisations, including NGOs, media and opinion leaders, in terms of working closer with women groups and leaders. When push comes to shove, one organisation, Search For Common Ground Pakistan (SFCG)’s endeavour of national level ‘Strengthening Women Parliamentarians in Pakistan for Effective Government’ is noteworthy.
The project aims at empowering and providing an impetus to women political leaders, who can become effective advocates of the cause. It supports current women parliamentarians (provincial level), as well as aspiring women councillors, to improve the larger national population’s awareness and perception of the role of women politicians as effective decision-makers in government and to facilitate them to demonstrate their leadership abilities and dynamism in advocating on a variety of issues at the local, provincial and national levels.
The initiative calls for strategic manoeuvre and its fruition is being ensured by SFCG and Insan Foundation Trust, who jointly organised a ‘National Networking Summit’ as part of their ‘Women’s Initiative for Learning and Leadership (WILL)’ campaign to celebrate the struggles and achievements of women political leaders, especially from the Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh and the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata).
It is imperative to take cognisance of the summit’s strategic objectives, which comprise: setting the context and identifying key issues and perspectives on women’s leadership at all levels of government; exploring ways of enhancing and synergising women leaders’ networks at national and provincial levels; developing an inspirational environment - with the support of women leaders, civil society, government representatives, business and opinion leaders, media and other stakeholders - to support and promote women’s leadership agenda nationwide; and raising general awareness on and advocating for women’s political participation and leadership in Pakistan.
In this milieu, there is an urgent need to proactively engage and fully support Pakistan's women political leaders, as they walk their individual and collective leadership journey, while facing numerous socio-cultural, economic and political challenges in their daily lives. The forthcoming general elections provide the nation a golden opportunity to harness the true potential of Pakistani women's competent and responsible leadership.
The writing on the wall is clear that women's political empowerment is fundamental and their socio-political leadership is inevitable, and it is hard to imagine a constructive and sustainable democratic change in Pakistan, unless women are included in the decision-making processes at all levels of governance. That per se is ‘women empowerment’.

The writer is a former group captain of PAF, who also served as air and naval attaché at Riyadh. Currently, he is a columnist, analyst and host of programme Defence and Diplomacy on PTV.
Dear Haseeb Ansari instead of posting these articles separately, do post them in respective threads under proper heading that i have started so that new comers and other members could easily find and read all the related material at one place..Regards
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Women empowerment is necessary

Muhammad Uzair Niazi


“No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.” Muhammad Ali Jinnah, 1944.

Women empowerment refers largely to the development of sovereignty of option and act to shape one’s life. An empowered woman will be one who is self-assured, who decisively analyses her surroundings and put into effect power over decisions that influence her life.

The inspiration of empowerment is needed itself at every level of communal relations. By empowering women we will be in a good position to give tone to the fragile and neglected. The term women right refers to self-determination and right of women and girls of all ages. Women in Pakistan are now functioning on the post of CEO’S, GT pilot, police officers, bankers, doctors, engineer. Urban side of Pakistani is not anymore backward, as they are the part of different professions.

Urbanization add much in adopting change in Pakistani society and with change the most significant thing that happened is transformation in mentality of parents who formerly consider their daughters as burdens but now its not like that any longer and due to parents support and backup women are working side by side with men and sharing the weight of society as equivalent collaborators.

Pakistan rural areas are in clutch of so called Zamindar, Jagirdars, Feudal lords who have suppressed the rights of women and considered them as their possessions. Rural women are working in fields along with men and doing all household work but despite of all the sacrifices and contribution she carries no right and has no share in anything and her life remain property of men who are dominant member of society.

Women in rural areas of Pakistan are in a different condition. May be there are 10 percent of women enjoying their rights the remaining 90 percent of women whose rights have been suppressed sometime on name of stature, their lives have been sacrificed on the name of honor killing and further unlawful customs which have no set in Islamic teaching and are man made rules for women which add in making their life more difficult.

These women have no access to education and this is the reason that they can not lift their say against any unfairness done with them. If they will be educated than they will be in a better position to say no to the aggression and unkindness done with them on the name of so called manhood.

National development must be balanced with the equivalent sharing of resources to equally males and females as in Pakistan females are more or less 51 percent of the total population and without the energetic participation of females Pakistan cannot attain the required level of growth rate.

Since the creation of Pakistan in 1947 it inherited the threat of poverty and the load of this poverty was put greatly on female populace because of the reason that the greater part of females were involved in agriculture work, performing tasks to maintain family unit, transporting water and collecting firewood, but their work in industrious activities is unrecognized and, consequently, the womanly contribution represented in economic activities seems to be small.

The political representation of women in Pakistan is higher than India, Sri Lanka and Iran. Pakistan is listed as 45th in the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) list of women in national parliaments and stood ahead of several developed democracies, including Canada, the UK and the US.

The only positive development thus far has remained the relatively large representation of women in the National Assembly, the Senate and provincial assemblies in comparison to other countries. At present out of 342 seats in the National Assembly, women now comprise 22.2 per cent of those seats. In the Senate, women make up 17 per cent of the parliamentary seats.

This certainly is important exit from the past considering that women are frequently disheartened from entering politics. Pakistan is also one of the 30 countries which have a woman as Speaker of the National Assembly. The political development of a country requires both male and female contribution in the government affairs.

Women representation in the government ensures that work is done for the betterment of omen in Pakistan. Islam is such a religion in which women respect is so important that it can be proved from the saying of Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H that “PARADISE LIES UNDER Mother’s FEET”. In my point of view lack of earning opportunities and education is the major reason of violation of women rights.

If women will be empowered then next upcoming generation will be educated and women can feel protected and can lift up their voice against their rights without uncertainty and fear. So this proves that women empowerment is very important for the progress of a country and nation. Discrimination against women must be brought to an end. Now is the time to identify that women, in real, have a vital role to decide the direction of social change.

They must be given an admirable place in society. Effective steps must be taken to enhance their capacity and participation at multifarious levels. Gender sensitization approaches must be cultivated. Schemes should be adopted to devise different strategies to provide economic opportunities to them; one such example can be introducing micro-credit schemes. Strategic interventions should be introduced at all policy levels to assure an inclusive participation of ladies for nation-building process.

New avenues for technical training for semi-educated or illiterate women must be explored. This practice can help the women of villages to better their lots by earning themselves and hence fetching for them and kids the basic amenities of life. In this way their dependence on men would be reduced at the same time.

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