| March 8, 2002 | Friday | Zilhaj 23, 1422 |
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Truth about train fire
Auditorium for Karachi
THE international women’s day today should be an occasion for us to ponder the status of women in Pakistan. The activist groups will through their programmes draw public attention to the achievements and role of women, while they will also condemn the failure of the state and society to dismantle the structures which are instrumental in the oppression of women. How will the government celebrate the role of women in our national life? It is expected to announce the national policy for development and the empowerment of women on this occasion to demonstrate its commitment to them.
The fact is that women in Pakistan by and large continue to be the backward and oppressed section. Gender inequality is so pronounced that it calls for extraordinary efforts to bring women at par with their men compatriots. Some of the statistics are quite appalling. Only 29 per cent of women above 15 years are literate compared to 55 per cent men. Only 9.4 per cent of the women are in the labour force compared to 48 per cent of the men. Although the government has been repeatedly proclaiming that it will work for the uplift of women in order to decrease this gap, not enough is being done.
One cannot be certain whether the draft policy on the anvil will change the status of women significantly. In the absence of a political will, it is difficult to bring about basic reforms and behavioural changes in society, specially when there are strong vested interests resisting measures which undermine their privileged status. Regrettably, the government has yet to show enough of a political will to improve the status of women, even in areas where it can demonstrate a better performance. For instance, even in providing facilities for education the official approach is highly inequitable. In 2000-2001, 1,200 primary schools were opened for girls when the boys got 2,000 new schools. This when female enrolment is supposedly being encouraged. Then there is the issue of violence against women against which human rights activists and women have demonstrated strongly. The incidence of violence continues to be high, and the government’s policies have had no visible impact whatsoever because no firm action is generally taken against the perpetrators of violence. The discriminatory laws which have disadvantaged women continue to be in place, in spite of demands for their repeal.
The high profile measures taken by the government in the political sector — the increase in the number of seats reserved for women in the local bodies and the assemblies being one of them — by themselves will not change the situation. The basic need is to first of all bring about the empowerment of women at the grassroots’ level through the spread of education and skills. Secondly, it is essential to have a greater input from women in decision-making so that the female perspective is reflected in all policies, be they socio-economic plans, foreign policy or security issues. The female presence in the law-making bodies will certainly help to some extent. But the woman’s voice might still be stifled as has been happening in the absence of the recognition of the fact that women could have a more pragmatic and sensible approach to many issues. One strategy could be to strengthen the women’s commission and give it the power to act as a watchdog body to monitor policies in all sectors to ensure that they do not militate against the women’s wellbeing.
EVER since the unfortunate Godhra train attack took place, Indian leaders from Interior Minister L.K. Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi have been claiming that the incident was premeditated and the result of a conspiracy. Mr Advani and Mr Fernandes had quite openly tried to drag in Pakistan into the gruesome incident with the latter even calling for an inquiry to see the extent to which the ISI was involved. Mr Advani, for his part, and at the height of the riots, had told journalists that there was “substantive evidence” to suggest that the attack had been planned from before and that foreign involvement was quite possible. During this time, the arrest of a Muslim in West Bengal was also announced, and he was accused of being the “mastermind” behind the attack. The report, of which there was no follow-up, claimed that the man was the leader of a “fundamentalist” Islamic organization.
However, a leading American newspaper has come out with a completely different picture. Quoting the police official in charge of Godhra, The Washington Post reported that the attack was neither premeditated nor was it a case of innocents versus hordes of bloodthirsty marauders. In fact, the antics of the activists of the virulently anti-Muslim Vishwa Hindu Parishad were in large part responsible for the reaction from the Muslims. For example, for hours prior to the stopover at Godhra, they were making a huge commotion inside the train, exposing themselves to other passengers, pulling headscarves off Muslim women and chanting rabidly anti-Muslim/pro-Hindu slogans. In fact, the train arrived in communally sensitive Godhra five hours late because of the frequent stops that were made in light of the activists’ behaviour. Had it arrived at its scheduled time of three in the morning, and had the activists paid for the food they ate, it is quite possible that the quarrel with the Muslim vendors might have never taken place, and so, too, the incident that led to the lethal blaze.
True, all this is very easy to say with the benefit of hindsight. But, so is to blame others — which is precisely what Mr Fernandes and Mr Advani did. Resisting the temptation to blame others will serve India well, because by doing so the BJP government will be in a position to at least get to the root of the problem — at the heart of which lies a stubborn refusal by the Hindu majority to accord the minorities their due rights.
FINALLY, there is now hope that Karachi will have its first decent public auditorium to be used for the promotion of the arts in this metropolis of over 10 million. The Sindh government’s grant of Rs 25 million and a presidential grant of Rs 50 million for completing the construction of the auditorium at the Karachi Arts Council have come as a long-awaited relief. The half-constructed edifice lay exposed to the elements for several years, as shortage of funds in a city known for its corporate affluence and philanthropy had stalled its completion. Part of the reason why the arts council was not able to raise the required money lay in controversies about and dissensions among its office-bearers, which eroded its viability as a hub of cultural activity that would be accessible to all.
One hopes all that is now behind us and, with the money now being made available, the council will be able to provide the citizens with a forum to satisfy the entertainment-starved citizens’ need for cultural activities. Obviously, Karachi is brimming with talent, as various theatre groups and performers have been staging their shows in privately-owned halls that are not adequately equipped to host such performances. Thus, the availability of a purpose-built auditorium at the arts council will be a dream come true for both the city’s artists and its citizens.