MISSING THE POINT

Pakistani Women Outraged Over Panel on Feminism That Failed to Include Women

The Arts Council of Pakistan was forced to add two females to a discussion on feminism that initially failed to include any.

The Arts Council of Pakistan has been forced to backtrack after it organized a discussion on feminism with an all-male panel. The name of the panel discussion, scheduled for Friday in Karachi, was initially billed as “Feminism: The Other Perspective.” After the lineup provoked outrage, the council was forced to add two women to the panel and changed its title to “Understanding Feminism.” The organizers said the original intention was to have male decision-makers share their views and experiences on feminism. However, one of the men taking part in the discussion, human-rights activist Jibran Nasir, said he’d been misled about the event, adding: “I was informed the panel is about men talking to other men about rethinking masculinity and why as men we need feminism. It wasn’t to explain feminism or talk about women issues as men.”