Blogs and Stories
Does Pakistan Have No Shame?
In parliament, a month after the women were buried alive, Zehri defended the killings as “part of our traditional customs.” Three months after his atrocious declaration, he was appointed the Federal Minister of Postal Services (see?) and made an adviser to the prime minister’s cabinet. When criticized for his statements, Zehri shrugged off his critics—five women died and the sky didn’t fall, the charming minister is reputed to have said.
Then, in November, the PPP and its president, Benazir Bhutto’s widower Asif Zardari, appointed Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani as Federal Minister of Education (a cabinet post with actual heft to it). Any Pakistani with a memory should have alarm bells ringing in his head at the mention of Bijarani’s name. In 2007, the chief justice of Pakistan ordered his arrest after he decreed that five girls be handed over, like currency, to the family of a murdered man to settle a feud between their two families. Bijarani was acting as head of a local tribal council similar to the one that had Mukhtaran Mai gang raped. The eldest of the girls was age six, and the youngest were only two years old.
But under this present government, not only is Bijarani is a free man (with an impressive government portfolio to boot), but the chief justice who ordered his arrest now finds himself unconstitutionally unemployed.
Today’s PPP bears absolutely no resemblance to the party that brought Pakistan’s first democratically elected government to power in 1971 and wrote our country’s constitution, yet it is feted across the West as an ally in the War on Terror. If Vice President Joseph Biden has his way, Pakistan will receive a whopping $7.5 billion in nonmilitary aid as part of the Biden-Lugar Act.
This for a country with an impressive vernacular for crimes against women. We have barely two words for “school” in Urdu: madrassa, and the bastardized eskool. But we have an entire language for the official ways in which you can victimize women. Swara, noun: the practice of settling disputes by giving away female children as compensation (see Bijarani); Karo Kari, noun: the murder of a male and female who have stained their respective families' honor; watta satta, the exchange of brides between one family and another; sang chatti, the forced marriage of women and girls to resolve tribal disputes. The vocabulary goes on and on.
Even longer is the list of men, politicians, and ministers who have been rewarded by the state of Pakistan for their misogyny. Mukhtaran Mai’s allegations have been quietly buried in the week since she openly accused the government of meddling in her rape case. As her case goes before the Supreme Court today, there’s little hope for a fair trial. The newspapers have been silent in Karachi, there are no protest rallies in Lahore, and there have been no repercussions against the state in Islamabad.
A few days ago, a friend of mine arrived at Karachi International Airport after a business trip abroad. As she waited in line to have her passport stamped at immigration, a man in his thirties turned to her and sneered, “How can you stand here in a line with all these men?” He called her shameless and said she should separate herself. But he underestimated her docility. She stood firmly in place and told him if her presence bothered him so much, he should ask the government to build a separate airport for women. I wouldn’t put it past them.
Personally, I’d prefer our own country.
Fatima Bhutto is a graduate of Columbia University and the School of Oriental and African Studies. She is working on a book to be published by Jonathan Cape in 2010 and writes regularly for the New Statesman among other publications. Fatima lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan.
Stars Celebrate the Super Bowl
The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Maid Murder Rocks Pakistan
Fatima Bhutto is a graduate of Columbia University and the School of Oriental and African Studies. She is working on a book to be published by Jonathan Cape in 2010. Fatima lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan.
Hillary, Go Home
Fatima Bhutto is a graduate of Columbia University and the School of Oriental and African Studies. She is working on a book to be published by Jonathan Cape in 2010. Fatima lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan.
Terrified Whispers in Pakistan
Fatima Bhutto is a graduate of Columbia University and the School of Oriental and African Studies. She is working on a book to be published by Jonathan Cape in 2010. Fatima lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan.
imranali
Thanks for a great piece Fatima. Sadly as a UK-born Pakistani, it's very apparent that such issues aren't restricted to Pakistan itself, but also Pakistani communities overseas.
My mother has been a schoolteacher of largely Pakistani kids here in the UK for over 20 years, and we've often heard of similar stories - albeit not as violent - that occur here also.
Something that I picked up, implicit within your story, was that one of the causative factors might be US politician's endorsement of successively criminal Pakistani elites.
I've long felt that the solutions to cultural and political change must emerge from Pakistanis themselves. Sadly, as an overseas Pakistani, I see little civic effort from urbane, educated, middle-class or affluent Pakistanis.
In conversations with friends and family in the country, younger Pakistans seem either apathetic or lacking belief and hope in progressive change.
What do you feel might be the levers and influences to mobilise Pakistan towards moving beyond such practices?
Yankintex
When it comes to the oppression of wormen in many Islamic countries, where is the outrage, where are the street protests, where are the condemnations? Being saved for Israel's next military operation, obviously.
Gillman
75% of prisoners in Pakistan are women for being a rape victim
suzannewynn
This makes me sick how can we even consider being their ally while they treat women like dogs. I want to know why the world is not outrage over this kind of treatment towards women. Are we still considered second class citizens? Are we still considered the property of men?
Mugly067
Wow what a screwed up culture, you know some cultures become so poisonous the only choice is to eradicate them. Being that the Pakistani Govt is full of a bunch of corrupt nut jobs doesn't bode well for them, and given the tension with India and the US I can see this country becoming the next war zone.
jaclynde
Hopefully Mai will be the spear head of a movement that is long past due to start.
I, too, want to know where the protests are. Women in Western countries never faced oppression this bad, but still had to fight hard for equal rights. If women resist this, many will be killed...but I would rather die a slow and terrible death than ever be treated like a farm animal, the way these governments are shamelessly allowing to happen.
It is time for a revolt of mass scale on the part of these women.
When you've got nothing, there is nothing to lose.
finderj
It was once the tradition in many countries to leave unwanted or unhealthy newborns outside to die. It was once a tradition in many countries to bury or burn the surviving wife(wives) with the deceased husband. It was once the tradition in many countries for the male heir to the throne/land/business to kiill all his siblings at the death of the patriarch. Do Pakistani men and their government want to uphold those traditions too?
It has been said that all that is needed for the triumph of evil is for men of good will to do nithing. Maybe it should be restated as "women of goodwill". If any country that supports violence against women is going to outgrow those vile, mysogynist 'traditions', it will be because women in those countries are willing to risk torture and death to be free.
manticore
A quick update...Mukhtar Mai case was adjourned 'without a date' today - effectively the judiciary have put it on the back burner indefinitely. MM is happy about this and immensely grateful to her friends and supporters around the world for their support. And how do I know this? Well, I am the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mukhtar Mai Women Welfare Organisation, and spoke to her immediately after the hearing this morning.
warreno
'In parliament, a month after the women were buried alive, Zehri defended the killings as "part of our traditional customs."'
Remember, if it's done in the name of religion, it's to be respected and treated with reverence.
It's not patriotism that's the last refuge of scoundrels. It's God.
aluxeterna
I have some letters to write to Biden and Lugar.
Zephyr
Thank you for giving voice to the women of Pakistan.
lordastral
Well, what do you expect? Pakistan hasn't changed, and it won't change. And the Pakistanis that come to the USA are importing that poisonous outlook towards women with them. Last year in Texas two teenage Pakistani girls were murdered by their own father for the sin of talking to boys.
lordastral
I believe I am in error in my previous post, It does not appear that the father of those two girls but Pakistani, but Egyptian from what I have read. Of course, there are still plenty of pakistani cases of honor killings out there to choose from, so I won't retract my statement about the poisonous attitudes towards women.
Abraxas
Does Pakistan have no shame? Well, I am surely shameless... I want the drug tsar, I want the DEA, I want their skulls for chalices. I will drink their blood and knock down your towers.I will destroy your economies, until you learn to know ME. Give me this or suffer more for ME. Give ME this or I shall destroy everything you know!
financepk
Too much credit to Musharraf...Musharraf himself said on CNN
"Pakistani women claim RAPE to get immigration [to Canada]"
And also in a rape of Dr. Shazia by an Army Major at Sui Gas plant, Musharraf said that Army major is blameless even before the investigations started. Dr. Shazia had to escape to US to save her life
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.