Monday, December 26, 2022
#PAKISTAN #PPP - Zardari pledges not to deviate from BB’s mission
Asif Ali Zardari said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto bravely resisted the barbaric and brutal dictators. “We are strong and steadfast on her ideology because of her teachings,” President Zardari said adding that the continuation of democracy was the beautiful dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. By the grace of the Almighty Allah, that dream was fulfilled. Asif Ali Zardari said that the announcement of the institutions to be apolitical is also a realization of the dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and it will give stability to democracy and establish the country’s credibility. Asif Ali Zardari said that BB’s followers are striving to make the country a society free from all kinds of extremism, where there is the light of knowledge, jobs for the people, equal opportunities for the youth to move forward, women free from the shackles of fear, and minorities with a respectable place in the society. This is the vision of Pakistan that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had. https://dailytimes.com.pk/1043749/zardari-pledges-not-to-deviate-from-bbs-mission/
#Pakistan #PPP - 15 years on, Benazir murder still an unsolved mystery
Masterminds of former premier's assassination yet to face justice as case lies pending in LHC.
On December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated soon after she had addressed an election rally in the historic Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi. She was reportedly killed by a 15-year-old suicide bomber.One of the most important high-profile cases of the country's chequered history still lies pending in the Lahore High Court's (LHC) Rawalpindi bench.
Over 20 party workers were killed and 71 others were seriously injured in the attack on the former premier.
In the aftermath of the incident, four inquiries were conducted into the high-profile case with the police joint investigation team (JIT), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the United Nations (UN) and Scotland Yard striving to solve the matter. However, these inquiries and investigations yielded no results as the Bhutto family did not pursue the case in the special anti-terrorism court (ATC).
A total of 12 challans were filed in this case, 355 appearances were recorded, 10 judges were changed and 141 witnesses, including 68 prosecution witnesses, testified.
Moreover, 16 people were accused in the case, but only eight of them were arrested. The main accused, Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in a drone strike.
Five other accused – Nadir Khan alias Qari, Nasrullah, Abdullah alias Saddam, Ikramullah, Faiz Muhammad Kaskat – were also killed in encounters with intelligence agencies at different places.
The suicide bomber who attacked the former prime minister was identified as Saeed Blakel, who died in the blast. The police arrested five accused Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Rashid Ahmed, Rafaqat and Hasnain Gul, and dumped the debris on them.
The FIA also arrested the then-president General (r) Pervez Musharraf, former city police officer (CPO) Saud Aziz and superintendent of police (SP) Rawal Khurram Shehzad as accused in the case. However, they were later granted bail by the high court.
On August 31, 2017, Judge Muhammad Asghar Khan of the special ATC pronounced the verdict in the Adiala Jail after nine years, acquitting five accused, and declaring Musharraf as a fugitive on absenteeism, and issued permanent arrest warrants, besides confiscating his movable and immovable property.
Meanwhile, police officers – deputy inspector general (DIG) Saud Aziz and SP Khurram Shehzad – were sentenced to a total of 17 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs1 million each for destroying evidence and breach of security.
However, three months later, the high court suspended the sentences and released the two officers from jail. The CPO is now retired while the SP has now been promoted to the rank of DIG.
Appeals of the accused and plaintiffs have been pending in LHC’s Rawalpindi bench for over four years, and are expected to be heard in the last week of February 2022.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari has filed an appeal in the high court against the acquittal of the five accused in the case, and has sought to increase the sentences of both the police officers and to initiate trial against Musharraf in his absence.
The FIA has also filed appeals against the acquittal of the five accused while the convicted police officers have filed appeals against the sentences.
The three acquitted accused Aitzaz Shah, Sherzaman and Rafaqat have been released from jail. Meanwhile, two accused Rasheed Ahmed and Hasnain Gul are still locked up in Adiala Jail on various charges.
Federal government’s senior prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was killed in a terrorist attack while pursuing the case.
After Benazir’s assassination, the PPP formed its government in the centre, but in its five-year tenure, the party failed to pursue this important case. Later, the case was partially disposed of during the tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The case is likely to land in the Supreme Court (SC) and it is not known when the case and appeals will be wrapped up.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2392951/15-years-on-benazir-murder-still-an-unsolved-mystery
#Pakistan #PPP - BENAZIR BHUTTO!!! ....THE LEGEND
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Friday, December 23, 2022
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Pakistan, US reshaping bilateral ties, says FM Bilawal
In an interview with MSNBC, he said with consistent engagement at high levels and bilateral exchanges, the relations between Islamabad and Washington are moving ahead positively.
The foreign minister said the nations could build a sustainable long-term partnership, which is in the interest of the people of both countries.
FM Bilawal said in the past, 90% of the conversation between the two countries used to be on terrorism. However, currently, "90% of the discussion takes place on economic cooperation and other areas, including terrorism".
“This is a positive sign for Pakistan-US relations. We can’t change what happened in the past. We can learn from the past and engage with each other with realistic expectations,” the foreign minister remarked.
Regarding climate change and recent floods in Pakistan, he said the country has started to prepare National Adaptation Plan for building resilience to climate change.
The foreign minister said to become a climate-resilient country, Pakistan needs to invest in energy transition, which requires international support.
Counting on the losses caused by recent floods that have washed away 10% of Pakistan’s GDP, he stressed that adaptation is needed in a manner that if we face such catastrophe in future, we should be in a better position to cope with it.
US extends support
Later in the day, US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke to FM Bilawal and expressed his continued support for the people of Pakistan as they recover from the recent devastating floods, the department's spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement mentioned that Secretary Blinken and FM Bilawal Zardari shared their mutual hope for a productive International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in January and discussed the need for close coordination.
The secretary also offered condolences for lives lost in recent terrorist attacks and underscored the United States' resolute support for Pakistan as it combats terrorism, the spokesperson added.
During a press briefing earlier, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said the US would help the country in dealing with the threats posed by the militant outfits.
“We have partnered with our Pakistani friends to take on — to help them take on this challenge. We stand ready to assist, whether with this unfolding situation or more broadly," he said when asked to comment on the situation at a counterterrorism centre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu city.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/459881-pakistan-us-reshaping-bilateral-ties-says-fm-bilawal
امریکا سے دو طرفہ تعلقات کو وسعت دینا چاہتے ہیں، بلاول بھٹو
وزیر خارجہ بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا ہے کہ امریکا سے دو طرفہ تعلقات کو وسعت دینا چاہتے ہیں، خطے میں امن و استحکام کے لیے امریکا کی کوششیں
قابل تحسین ہیں۔
واشنگٹن میں اٹلاٹنک کونسل کے جنوب ایشیا مرکز کی میزبانی میں منعقد مباحثے سے بلاول بھٹو کا خطاب میں کہنا تھا کہ مستقبل کے ماحولیاتی سانحات سے نمٹنا، متاثرین کی مدد کرنا چیلنج ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ ہماری تمام تر توجہ سیلاب سے پیدا سانحہ سےنمٹنے پر ہے، مجھے یقین ہے کہ ہم سیلاب سے پیدا چیلنج سے نمٹ لیں گے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ سیلاب نے تعلیم، زراعت اور صحت کے شعبوں کو متاثر کیا ہے۔
بلاول نے ایک سوال کا جواب دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ پاکستان میں 2007 کے مقابلے میں سیکیورٹی صورتحال بہتر ہے۔
Monday, December 19, 2022
EDITORIAL - #Pakistan #Bannu Attack
The clock may be silent, but the second hand is ticking away; adding more and more gravity to a fast-developing situation in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The terrifying standoff in Bannu Cannt continues where as many as 20 fighters from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan are hosting a lunch party inside a counterterrorism facility.
There is a hostage crisis wherein the militants have taken possession of the gated property and made viral videos of security personnel trapped inside as they demand safe passage to Afghanistan. Talks are underway as the civilian and army leadership are presenting a united front against the TTP spokespersons in a desperate attempt to defuse the tension.
That Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been sitting on a kerosene keg for far too long and expected the providence the carve out some miraculous resolution has been reiterated far too many times to the point of sounding repetitive. However, we can still not push the unparalleled acts of valour by the law enforcement agencies as their personnel stood in the line of fire to defend the motherland. More than 107 police officers laid down their lives in the war against terrorism in the first 11 months of 2022. When generic reports come down heavily on the counter-terrorism department and its so-called inefficiency, they forget to consider the shoestring budget and the negligible deployment of higher-level officials. After all, such a crucial department cannot be run solely on willpower.
The criminal errors in the political judgement in the last few years have managed to reawaken the sleeping serpent, which appears to have gathered an even greater zeal. As for Bannu, it can only be hoped that the state would prioritise the welfare of trapped civilians and officers, who have been reduced to sitting ducks in the dirty skirmishes. Clearly, terrorism would leave the table with an upper hand but let’s just save human lives for now. Any attempt to restore the state’s credibility and sovereignty would first need a detour to the boardroom. Pakistan needs to win this existential war again. No qualms about that. Victories cannot be claimed on back-channel chatter or knee-jerk reaction. If careless politics had been responsible for opening the gates in the middle of the night and letting in the fierce enemies, only politics can help offer the armed forces solid support to chalk down a fool-proof, magnificent plan to push the proverbial genie back inside!
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6906155786122195046/1534116169024273455
Pakistani Taliban Overpower Guards, Seize Police Center
In addition to taking around ten policemen hostage, the militants have snatched weapons and taken control of the facility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Several Pakistani Taliban detainees have managed to overpower their guards at a counter-terrorism center in northwestern Pakistan, snatching police weapons and taking control of the facility, officials said Monday. The militants at the detention center in Bannu, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and part of a former tribal region, also took police and others inside the compound hostage, according to Mohammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for the provincial government.Officials say at least 30 Taliban fighters are involved in the takeover and that there could be as many as 10 hostages being held. The brazen action reflected the Pakistani government’s inability to exercise control at all times over the remote region along the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but also allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in the neighboring country last year, as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from Afghanistan. Few other details have emerged about the incident, which started late on Sunday — apparently while police were interrogating the Taliban detainees, according to Saif. By Monday morning, Pakistan had dispatched military troops and special police forces to the area as security officials were trying to negotiate with the hostage-takers. Saif said the place was surrounded and that an operation was underway. He did not elaborate. Authorities were still in talks with the hostage-takers, enlisting the help of several relatives of the Taliban insurgents, security officials told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The officials said some soldiers were also among the hostages. There were concerns that the military could storm the facility if negotiations fail. In a video message circulating on social media, the hostage-takers threatened to kill the officers if their safe passage was not quickly arranged by the government. Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban — also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP — confirmed the incident. He said some of the hostage-takers were members of the Pakistani Taliban who had been detained for years. Khurasani said the TTP fighters were demanding safe passage to North or South Waziristan. Those areas were a Taliban stronghold until a wave of military offensives over the past years declared the region cleared of insurgents. Since then, TTP’s top leaders and fighters have been hiding in neighboring Afghanistan though the militants still have relatively free reign in patches of the province. Earlier, in a video message, the hostage-takers had demanded they be airlifted to Afghanistan but Khurasani said that demand had been made by mistake, since their fighters were not aware — due to their prolonged detention — that TTP now “enjoys control in some” parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Afghan border.The Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks on security forces since last month, when they unilaterally ended a monthslong cease-fire with the Pakistani government. The violence has strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, who had brokered the cease-fire in May. The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan over the past 15 years, fighting for stricter enforcement of Islamic laws in the country, the release of their members who are in government custody and a reduction of Pakistani military presence in the country’s former tribal regions.
https://thediplomat.com/2022/12/pakistani-taliban-overpower-guards-seize-police-center/
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Friday, December 16, 2022
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Why do you want to leave #Pakistan? - Desperate urge to leave Pakistan?
The question we need to ask is: why do these young men have a desperate urge to leave Pakistan?
The thing which is most striking in this scenario is that they are young boys and have a full life ahead of them. Yet the need to leave? The only thing that might make sense is that these young individuals want a better lifestyle and for that they need better opportunities. They want a better chance at life itself. Unfortunately in Pakistan, there are hardly any opportunities available for our younger generation. With a struggling economy, these educated youngsters with college and university degrees are unable to either find jobs in the first place and if they do, those jobs hardly pay well. With rising inflation, it is already difficult to make ends meet for most people but with no jobs in the market, the younger generation’s disillusionment and disappointment with the country is understandable.
Life in Pakistan is a struggle for everyone now. People want to leave the country to carve out a better financial future for their families. They choose to be away from family, leave their comfort and not live in their own homeland just to ensure that their next generation’s future is secure.
Pakistan takes pride in its men and women. Yet there is so little the governments have done to improve the quality and standard of the people’s lives. How hard will it be to provide a place filled with opportunity, a strong education system and a strong economy. Is the youth asking too much for survival? Or is it just the bare minimum? From what we see, it’s the bare minimum. Our governments and leaders have an obligation towards the youth. To provide and nurture them. To give them the belief that their motherland holds them near and dear, so that they can grow and become successful in life.
Despite trying, we are failing the youth. Maybe the problem lies somewhere else. The younger generation deserves leaders who are genuinely willing to invest in their people. We hope the future is better for the young men and women. May they always choose their country above anything else in life. May Pakistan not let the dreams of the young shatter.
https://thecurrent.pk/why-do-you-want-to-leave-pakistan/
بلاول بھٹو کی ایمل ولی کو ملنے والی دھمکیوں کی مذمت
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین اور وزیر خارجہ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے عوامی نیشنل پارٹی کے اہم رہنما ایمل ولی خان کو ملنے والی دھمکیوں کی مذمت کی
ہے۔
کراچی سے جاری بیان میں بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ ایمل ولی خان کو دھمکیاں دہشت گردی ہے جبکہ دہشت گردی کے خلاف حکومت اور پوری قوم کا دوٹوک موقف ہے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ کسی بھی جمہوریت پسند سیاسی رہنما یا کارکن کا بال بیکا ہونے بھی نہیں دیں گے۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے مزید کہا کہ یقین ہے اس معاملے میں ملوث ملزمان کو قانون کی گرفت میں لایا جائے گا، پی پی ایمل ولی خان سے ہر ممکن تعاون کو یقینی بنائے گی۔
ان کا کہنا تھا کہ متعلقہ حکام اور ادارے ایمل ولی خان کی سیکیورٹی کو یقینی بنائیں۔
FM #Bilawal urges world to have 'fresh look' at #Pakistan in maiden Singapore trip
FM highlights Pakistan's great promise in e-commerce, IT sectors, vows to strengthen country's ties with South East Asian nations.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday urged the world to develop a "fresh look" towards Pakistan and move away from its stereotypical image.The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman told The Strait, "As a young political leader, I strongly feel that the world needs to have a fresh look at Pakistan, away from its stereotypical image."The FM told the Singapore-based publication that there are "many opportunities in Pakistan awaiting the world". However, he said that the first step for utilising those opportunities is to lift the travel advisories against Pakistan. Bilawal said: "I strongly feel that the world needs to look at us more objectively, as a promising emerging market." The FM highlighted the country's young population and rapidly growing middle class. Ties with ASEAN The foreign minister specifically mentioned the Pakistani e-commerce market, saying that according to data from German research firm Statista, Pakistan's e-commerce market is estimated to generate $7.67 billion in revenue in 2022. The FM highlighted Pakistan's freelancers, who provide services in IT, telecom, e-commerce, data analytics, financial services, music, and health. "Singapore and other Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries outsource many IT-related activities and financial services and can benefit immensely from our young talent." On the visit, Bilawal stressed that ties with ASEAN countries are a priority for Islamabad. He added that Islamabad is seeking to upgrade its partnership with the regional bloc into a full dialogue partnership. "Some recent initiatives of ASEAN are of great interest to Pakistan, which we believe are bound to unlock immense trade and investment opportunities for emerging economies such as Pakistan. We believe our start-up and fintech ecosystem can contribute by connecting with Southeast Asia," said Bilawal. Bilawal is currently on his maiden trip to Singapore as the FM, where he met with his counterpart, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. According to a Foreign Office statement issued today, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and agreed to enhance bilateral engagements and cooperation. The foreign minister told the Singapore publication that in the context of ASEAN, Pakistan places great importance on its relations with Singapore. He highlighted that Pakistan was among the first countries to recognize Singapore after independence; and how Pakistani immigrants have contributed to its development in the initial years. Bilawal pointed out how the two nations have exchanged high-level visits in the past, including former premier Benazir Bhutto's visit in 1995 and former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's visits to Pakistan in 1988 and 1992. Bilawal added that the two countries lost the momentum in their bilateral relations over time, adding that his trip's purpose is "to revive that momentum and intensify our bilateral exchanges. Pakistan is keen to strengthen this relationship in all dimensions".
Meeting with President Halimah
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on Singapore President Halimah Yacob as well today.
A Foreign Office statement read, "In the meeting, enhanced engagement and mutually beneficial cooperation were discussed while the foreign minister shared Pakistan's desire to intensify cooperation with ASEAN."
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1018345-fm-bilawal-urges-the-world-to-have-a-fresh-look-at-pakistan-in-maiden-singapore-tripSaturday, December 10, 2022
Pakistani creators on Facebook can monetize content creation, says FM Bilawal
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced on Saturday that Pakistani content creators on Facebook can generate income through the platform’s new ‘stars’ feature.
The FM posted a video message from the offices of Meta – the parent company for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – announcing the “big news”.
The minister stated that with the new feature Pakistani creators could monetize their Facebook content and “the more stars they get the more money they would earn”.
FM Bilawal hoped that “the youth of Pakistan in particular” would get more productive use out of social media.Meta launched its latest monetization feature, Facebook Stars, for eligible creators in Pakistan to help them connect with their audiences and build a business.
A statement by the global tech giant said Facebook Stars will allow fans to buy and send digital goods to support creators, allow the Pakistani content creators to check their earnings by content type, manage their goals, and access other Stars settings.
The feature is available on Facebook Reels, Facebook Live, on-demand videos, photos, and text posts.
"Helping creators to build community and turn their passions into professions is a key part of our continued investment in Pakistan. Today, we are thrilled to announce that Facebook Stars is open to all eligible creators in Pakistan, so more people can start earning while they grow their creativity, audience and careers," said Meta’s Director of Emerging Markets for the Asia Pacific region Jordi Fornies.
Bilawal tells world to break ‘stereotypes’ about Pakistan
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Lack of women’s rights in #Qatar means even the privileged like me must do as men say
In the Gulf state, women go to university and walk the streets safely. But one Qatari woman, 23, describes how men remain their ‘guardians’ for their whole lives.
As people around the world watch videos of men smiling and waving flags outside Doha’s stadiums, they are only seeing one side of the story: what this country is like for a man. In fact, they probably aren’t seeing many women at all.
I’m a 23-year-old Qatari woman, and I don’t longingly look out towards the West and think, “I wish I wasn’t so oppressed.” Western experiences aren’t all the same. But since I was a child, I’ve come up against rules and restrictions that limit my freedom.
The moment that I realised I was being treated differently from my brothers was when I was three or four, and I came home from a day out with my family. My three brothers went with my father to the majlis, a room where he would entertain male visitors. I was not allowed in because I was a girl.
Money affords me privileges that others can’t dream of. In Qatar we don’t have a nuclear family structure like in the West. If you’re born into privilege, there are other people involved. Our family had a driver, a housemaid, nannies and a gardener. My first language isn’t Arabic — it’s English, because that’s the language in which I spoke to my nanny, who was Sri Lankan. In many ways I was closer to her than my own mother. Girls go to school in Qatar. I attended a fee-paying school and studied the British curriculum, but education is free to all citizens.
Not all Qatari women wear the veil. When I was 12 or 13, my parents asked if I had thought about it, and if I had decided what I might like to do, if I wanted to wait or had any questions. I decided to say yes, so I started wearing a type of turban at first to cover my hair, then later I started wearing the shayla and the abaya.
Many women go to university as I do. In fact there are more female university graduates in Qatar than males. But that’s often where opportunity ends: the employment rate in Qatar for men is double that of women. As a woman, your priority is to get married and have children. I’ve heard of many women being told by their families that they weren’t allowed to go horse riding or cycling, because their virginity would be ruined and they would be impure. Once when I was a teenager, my aunt told me: “After God, the next person you obey is your husband.”
But today the birth rate is falling, as women pursue careers. Qatari women are also subject to a guardianship system, which is part of sharia. Women need the permission of a guardian, usually a father or brother, to marry, to get government jobs and to apply for a university scholarship. Once married, their guardian is then their husband. Women under 25 must ask permission from their guardian to leave the country.
Culturally, however, guardianship can last a lifetime. A woman’s husband can take out a travel ban to prevent her from leaving the country at any age, and airport officials have been known to stop women from leaving the country on their own. There is no one to appeal to; there are no anti-discrimination laws.
Most women my age hate the guardianship rules, and things are changing in Qatar, but culture is slow to follow. As of January 2020 women don’t need permission to drive, but my father won’t allow it. He said to me, “What if you get into a car crash? Will people see you on the street arguing with a man?” There have been academic trips abroad that I haven’t been allowed to go on. I wanted to study in the UK, but he forbade it. He said, “What will people say when they find out my daughter is sleeping in a house that isn’t mine?”
For my dad, it’s not really about anything other than what other people will say. Everyone knows everyone here. I have tried to fight him so many times, but sometimes you have to pick your battles. I am due to get married to a man who asked my parents for permission, and to whom I have also said yes — that’s how it works here (I’ve already rejected a couple of proposals because they didn’t feel right). The man I’m marrying is a friend of my family’s, and I think he shares a lot of my feminist values, too. From the messages we’ve been sending each other, we seem to be clicking really well. We have met, but only with our families there.
Some of my friends don’t want to get married, because they’re afraid that the person they’ll end up with is going to be more oppressive than their parents. That’s always a risk. There are no laws on rape within marriage. There is contraception, but not emergency contraception such as the morning-after pill, and abortion is only legal in cases of abnormalities with the foetus. Even then, a man must provide consent.
Women can write the terms they want their husband to adhere to in a marriage certificate. They might say something like: “You can’t stop me from getting an education; you can’t stop me from driving,” so that if your husband goes against them, you have proof that he’s violated the terms you agreed to. But unfortunately, not a lot of women do that — it’s seen as bad taste for the woman to ask, and a slight on her husband’s family. Qatari women can’t get a divorce easily. I know some older people who are trapped in marriages that are oppressive, that are physically and emotionally abusive, and yet they can’t escape. If you have children, the father is their legal guardian, and he can stop them leaving the country. The law in Qatar is not there to protect women; it is there to empower men. And there is no way to speak out about it. I have TikTok and Instagram, and often women use Twitter to talk about these topics — sometimes anonymously. Not a lot of Qatari women show their faces online, it’s still a sort of taboo.I do have some freedom, though. I go to the mall and have even walked around Doha on my own and with friends, against my parents’ wishes. It isn’t the danger; Qatar is very safe. Often it’s so hot that the streets are empty, and I find it scarier to be on the Tube in London. I rarely see migrant workers here, who aren’t allowed to live in Doha and reside in camps outside the city instead. They aren’t allowed to bring their family, and there is a feeling here that they are all bachelors who would do harm to women. On Fridays in the mall they’ll say it’s “family only day”, and that is lingo for “no migrant workers”. For my parents, it is more of a status thing. They don’t want me to be seen walking, because people would think: can’t you afford a car? Why would you use public transport? There are public beaches in Doha with women-only days and private beach clubs too, but I rarely go. You might not see women in the stadiums for the World Cup, but they are there. I have friends and family who have been. I know that there is an argument in the West that the World Cup shouldn’t have been held here but I disagree. I remain optimistic that it can be a force for good. With the world watching closely, there’s nowhere for the government to hide. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/women-rights-in-qatar-drive-work-study-cdqfl53zk