Some time back I wrote a blog titled ‘What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘woman’?’ The reaction I received from all quarters was enough to tell me the value of a woman in Pakistan.
Since childhood we were told politics is a dirty game, but we did not really understand what that really meant. Today anyone living in Pakistan can tell it’s more than dirty – it lacks morals, ethics and above all humanity. It is all about lust for power and money.
PM Nawaz Sharif addressing a public meeting in Okara on Saturday stooped low and passed remarks against women who attended the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) public meeting in Islamabad the day before. This remark was enough to prove his mentality.
What kind of a Prime Minister did he prove to be? The oath of the PM as given in the Constitution of Pakistan says “That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan” and the Constitution says that men and women are to be treated equally. Then how could he say such a thing? Are you so weak in your argument that you had to use women to snub your opponents?
Such statements are not new for us, because as a society we don’t respect women or their right to live as they want, be that in any sphere. In our daily conversations we use abusive words with reference to women.
If a woman is in the market, it is a must that someone will touch her while passing-by.
If she is a working woman, most will take it for granted that she is available for the ‘satisfaction’ of her male colleagues.
If she is out with friends, her character assassination begins.
If she is wearing jeans, then she is too bold and needs to be controlled.
If she is not married by 22, then something is definitely wrong with her that is why no ‘proposals’ come for her.
If she is divorced, that is her fault.
Interestingly these thoughts are not limited to men; many females also have such a mindset.
So hearing PM Nawaz Sharif say what he did, we should not be surprised as we can’t separate his position from his person. This is the sitting PM, that too for the third time, who has used such language. Are you Mr. PM aware of the struggles women have made to gain their political rights?
Ms. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari rightly pointed out that the PM needs some lessons in history. And let me remind you that the PTI provided the ladies a path to come forward in politics. Pakistani women who were not involved in any political discussion, stepped forward, gained confidence to come out to vote.
Mr PM, I fail to understand what exactly was wrong with the women attending PTI meeting? They were there to support their leader, just like those ladies who were present in your meeting were there to support you. What’s the harm if PTI ladies are enjoying music? Or has the pressure of Panama, Dawn Leaks, Army and PTI overpowered your better senses?
You are no ordinary person but the PM of Pakistan with a huge responsibility on your shoulders to run this country. If our Prime Minister does not respect women of Pakistan then what can we say about the others.
But how can one expect any good from you as earlier one of your ministers had called Shireen Mazari a tractor trolley and you kept quiet. Even the opposition leader in the National Assembly Mr. Khursheed Shah asked the speaker of the National Assembly to "not ask the women members to stop speaking, or they will fall ill if they don't talk continuously." The house laughed it off instead of condemning it. On the contrary Aseefa BhuttoZardari raised her voiced and demanded an apology from him even though he is from her political party. How come your daughter Maryam Nawaz did not raise her voice for the women of this country?
Despite my differences with Imran Khan and his loose talk against politicians, I don’t remember him speaking ill of women. And your act gave other politicians the opportunity to speak against the ladies of your house. Yesterday Khursheed Shah was the first one to come forward and ask you to keep Maryam Nawaz at home and make her work in the kitchen.
If one doesn’t have a good rational comment then he should not be saying anything at all. Instead of insulting women or getting personal, you should address the many issues in Pakistan that do not appear to be coming to an end. How does a few hundred women enjoying music become a topic of discussion or ways to demean the opposition?
There still are many areas in Pakistan where women do not have proper facilities for child birth, where they walk long distances to fetch a bucket of clean water. Not to talk of the places where women are not even allowed to vote. Can we forget the girls still being sold and given away for small amounts so that people could feed their families? Is Vani and Sawara not of any importance?
Mr. PM, we can have an unending list of things that need attention. However, highlighting these will be of no use unless you, as the third time PM, pay attention to matters more serious than women attending a party rally or meeting.