Rape in Pakistan: Trading on Depravity

Any world-class leader with a penchant for mixing with crowds and engaging in inform­al talk with journalists and audiences at meetings and get-togeth­ers is bound to be misquoted by individuals and the media. General Musharraf not only likes to communicate with groups but also is capable of doing an excellent job of it. However, with a milling crowd around includ­ing many assertive countrymen – some shouting at the top of their voice – the media people could eas­ily confuse the origin of a voice. That has happened to General Musharraf at New York in the context of violence against women.

 

The remark about women’s motives behind lodg­ing formal complaints over their rape, ascribed to him was so cruel that it became a hit issue overnight. Many Pakistani newspapers and their readers promptly came out with strong disagree­ment with remarks of the President – some touch­ing extremes. President’s Press Secretary, however, wasted no time in refuting the news item. Subse­quent dispatches and the President himself ex­plained that someone else, whose name was not re­vealed, made the remark. Although the episode must have caused some discomfort to General Musharraf and his team, yet it served some useful purpose as well.

 

First: the remark attracted questions on women issues in Pakistan in considerably fair num­bers than what was expected. It provided an oppor­tunity to the President and members of his delegation to present the actual situation, enumerate steps taken by the government for women’s uplift, and dispel wrong perceptions about women’s place in the Pakistani society, besides counting difficulties encountered in the process of empowering women in a traditional society.

 

Second, the quick and bitter criticism of alleged – later refuted – remarks by Head of State was pleasantly surprising. It indicated a quiet pro-women change taking place in the Pak­istani society, and the strength of its signal. Ironi­cally, General Musharraf has played a major role in bringing about this change, and these were the re­marks attributed to him that were under fire!

 

The President did not try to hide his exaspera­tion over wide publicity of rape cases in Pakistan. His real wrath was, however, reserved for NGOs that carried their concern for rape-victims to foreign countries. He was of the opinion that these NGO’s espoused the cause of rape victims as they had vested interests. He warned that the culprit NGOs would be dealt with an iron hand. He also com­plained that rapes took place all over the world, why did the foreign media highlight the cases happening only in Pakistan? He advocated that these unfortu­nate cases should remain confined to courts of the country where the incident happened; why take the case to foreigners who cannot do anything about the incident, due to lack of knowledge about another country’s culture and laws. His anger over the pub­licity of a heinous crime like rape was justified especially when he was engaged in convincing audi­ences of the unprecedented progress and enlightenment-taking place in Pakistan.

 

The President must have more accurate infor­mation about cases of violence on women than the layman. One, however, feels that publicity of rapes and assault cases could not be the doing of one or two organisations. Information technology and the communication systems have converted the world into a very small place. Nothing can remain secret anymore. Tantalising news like those related to gen­der discrimination, child abuse, murder, war, etc. are splashed by the media immediately: News of a rape ordered by elders of a community taking place on this planet in the 21st century will make a good lead anytime. Some NGO or individual may take advantage of the sympathy generated by such news temporarily, but damage is done the very moment that an event is reported by the local media. The President is right that rapes take place in all coun­tries. But they also remain shocking everywhere. News of this nature thus will get picked up imme­diately.

 

Whether somebody said it or not at the Presi­dent’s meetings in New York, the real thing to do is to curb the incidence of rape in Pakistan: Only then the news would cease to appear in the foreign press. And the NGOs would not be able to take ad­vantage of such news. But the matter is not that simple. Attitude towards women and their place in society are seeped in the social and cultural history of a people. Changes wrought by developments that come with time may bring some changes in society, yet the basics of family and community life remain untouched as they were mostly determined by the economic and social role of individuals. Since a woman is viewed as a worker and housekeeper – as such unaware of the outside world dominated by men, she is treated as an inferior. The feudal sys­tem and feudal mentality make women subservient to wishes of men who may ask women of menial and dependent households, to provide any service that they are ordered to fulfil – refusal can result in what Ms. Mukhtaran Mai or other women had to go through.

 

Logical solution of problems spawned by feu­dalism would be to put an end to the social and cultural system prevailing in our society. However, that would not be an easy task, as proven in Pakistan in the last six decades in the shape of failure of land reforms. With the passage of time, the feudal men­tality has spread to cities. The progeny of feudals and the nouveau riche have established.feu0 4 men­tality in the urban areas. The pervasive arrogant outlook as such has become a formidable force thwarting every initiative for freeing the poor and the downtrodden from clutches of the so-called elite of villages and towns.

 

Unless this mentality is defeated, occurrences of rape of women, assault on economic means of the poor, denial of equality, justice and democracy will not end. Just to prove the point, how many of the culprits of the known and thousands of less known or unknown cases of rape and assault on women have been punished in Pakistan during the past five, ten or fifteen years? The new addition to poor-men and women predicament is the blatant involvement of the police as active partners. We have not been able to correct or expel deviants in this force. Ju­diciary and other institutions charged with bring­ing justice to society have also fallen prey to the pressure of the dominant class. Quick justice and immediate implementation of decisions are the only sure way to stop the news of serious crimes in the media at home and abroad.

Tags: Meerwala gang rape, Musharraf, Rape in Pakistan, Women's Development