Pakistan: Why Women`s Day Still Matters to us

http://pashtunwomenvp.com/

Today as the world celebrate women day as recognition of long struggle started by the world socialist org for greater role and acceptance of women social political and economic role. Lucy Mangan – in her recent Guardian article – sums up the issues of our western counterpart in these words

‘we keep our eyes on the prize of securing an equal share of power and choices for women – the true freedom, for example, of whether or not to have children, derived from free access to contraception, abortion, economic independence from men, sufficient parental leave, flexible, affordable childcare options and so on’.

It pleases me so much that women, at least somewhere in this world, have moved on from fighting for basic women suffrage rights to a point where they can go beyond certain established society rules and challenge them. They seem to be in better control of their lives. While we the Pakhtun women in this part of the world are striving to be only treated as human first. We struggle with laws, customs, and deep entrenched biases against us. We are talking and trying to convince our men that selling a 12 years girl to a 70-year-old man for marriage should be made illegal. Selling us for monetary benefits (Walwar) is not a custom but violation of us as human being. Slavery is abolished by the civilized world .My right to education which has been declared a universal human right by the rest of the world, I am still stopped from going to school because I'm only a cheap labour to be availed in kitchen, farm work and used for reproductive purpose to further your tribal and ethnic needs or your sexual needs. I'm struggling to convince my brothers, fathers and my well-wishers that handing me over to your enemies to settle a blood feud ( Swara) - the crime committed by you is not even approved by God. Hitting me by considering me weak, chopping off my nose, cutting my arms and taking your frustration out on me is not only wrong but also verily you will answer for your deeds one day. (If you believe in any court of law or final judgment of God) .My dear father, brother and my husband I demand to be treated as human. I have emotions, feelings, needs and thoughts same as you. I'm not less than you. Otherwise Day of Judgment would have been ordained by God as different for us. Only physically different but that difference is not to be exploited but cherished because we have to run this system of the world together with respect and dignity as human beings.