Pakistan's stoned to death : Lets not forget Farzana

Sharmila Faruqui

Farzana Iqbal is a name; a name that will continue to scream in anguish. A name that will remain etched on every brick. A name that will denounce freedom, deride human rights and mock the very existence of sanity. Above all, it is a mockery of gender equity and women rights.

The gruesome incidence of Farzana’s murder is yet another ring in the chain of similar occurrences that time and again haunt us, humiliate us and reflect the lowest possible stature of human race. Regrettably, it is not just one murder that stains the sleeves of arrogance and conceit; it is the rising mound of dead bodies that slumber in silence, only screaming when waves of ghastly blood streams hit us.

Child marriages, rape, honour killing, karo kari and acid burning continue to mutilate the weaker gender in our country. The stark truth is that for the Pakistani women, justice, tolerance, peace and liberality are mere strange words with no meaning. Women here lament, endure and finally die on trivial matters such as having the simple right to choose their own life partner. They die in broad daylight when animal lust chooses to quench its thirst. They die when intrinsic misogynistic society chooses to kill them.

The hapless, tragic women in our country stand frail and weak, unable to defy the debauched events that end their lives.

Women here fear that despite various legislations and women rights groups that vouch for their protection, the outcome is questionable, the eradication of social evil is vague. And regardless of tremendous hue and cry by social activists, burning essays by politicians and rallies by philanthropists, the dilemma prevails.

All because we as a society fail to reach a solution, betray our own system, neglect and overthrow the working mechanism and ironically free the murderes and the rapists. We stand united only to witness the brutal acts of barbarism and not take a step forward to save a life.

We ogle open daylight gore and walk away indifferent to the cruelty.

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) should realise how Islam empowers women, how Islam protects women and what Islam proposes the punishment mechanism. If we were to punish the murderers of Parveen the same way they murdered her, undoubtedly the similar heinous crimes will be expunged. But alas! CII’s anti-women rulings have left us all stunned.

If the government in power focuses more on the 45% of Pakistan’s population, rather than putting their effort in railroads and turning Punjab into a replica of China, there would be no more Parveens to follow.

If only the government wakes up and takes notices of such events immediately and punishes the predators there and then, some concrete progress would have been made. And more importantly dispel and penalize the police force that did not intervene to save a life, which could not stop murderers to take the life of an innocent woman.

As per the Human Rights Commission statistics, 869 women were victims of similar tales of miseries last year - not counting those that go unnoticed and unreported.

Unfortunately, there may be more to follow. Just when we thought we have raved and ranted much on the subject, Saba Maqsood, a victim of similar fate emerged, shot twice, tied up in a sack and thrown into a canal. Saba survived, to narrate her horrific tale about the perpetrators who claimed to have done this in the name of honour killing. And how can we forget the case of Mukhtaran Mai, still fresh in our minds, who fought valiantly but could not get her rapists punished.

How many more honour killings? How many more child brides living a stifling life? How many rape victims hiding in disgrace?

The daring initiative taken by the Sindh Assembly in April this year to pass a bill restraining child marriages under 18 years is the beginning of hope. The other 3 provinces must enact this law too. Passionate and fervent to improve the plight of women in Pakistan, the Sindh government has taken a pledge to leave no stone unturned to eradicate rape, acid burning and honour killing from our society. To enact and implement workable solutions to ensure women rights on multitude of cases.

The question however is not about rallying against broad daylight murders of women that their families support and contribute to. It is about changing the mindset of our chauvinist society. And surely it is about burying the murderers with the victims - never to rise again, never to pollute the nation and never to disparage women.