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| September 9, 2005 | Friday | Sha’aban 4, 1426 |
‘Pointing rights abuses abroad serves no purpose’
LAHORE, Sept 8: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan appreciated on Thursday President Musharraf for taking interest in the issue of violence against women, but at the same time it pointed out certain discrepancies in general’s views on the issue. It said solution to the problem lay in adopting holistic policies to raise the women’s status.
“Pakistan will gain nothing by pointing fingers at other nations regarding violence against women,” said HRCP chairperson Asma Jahangir in a letter addressed to President Musharraf on behalf of the commission’s council.
The letter is a reply to the president’s reported remarks against individuals, groups and NGOs working for women rights while addressing a conference on violence against women in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The letter said: “This is a global issue which must concern all governments and be addressed with complete sincerity. There is a need to develop a full understanding of the various dimensions of the problem, rather than merely making unsubstantiated claims or cosmetic gestures. Unnecessarily personalizing the issue too can only prove counter productive.
“However, we regret that you do appear to have either not informed yourself fully on the issue, or risen above the superficial in your approach to a grave problem that extracts terrible suffering. The lack of rule of law and the impunity available to persons inflicting violence aggravates the agony of thousands of Pakistani women each year.
The figures provided to you regarding rape in France are misleading and questionable. More important than the actual figures is the question of what message you are attempting to deliver. Are the comparatively low figures for Pakistan a source of some consolation? They can hardly offer any comfort to a woman who has suffered rape.
“It is possible to argue that the comparatively lower figures of rape in the country reflect only the failure on the part of authorities to maintain accurate and complete data or to provide the just legal systems that would give women the confidence required to report rape.
“As for you complaints of the matter being taken to international forums, the lack of accountability of government within the country makes this inevitable. The only times your government has at least attempted to address issues of concern to women is when the accounts have been picked up by the international media and concern raised outside the country. “We would also like to point out that your interpretation of the national interest can vary from that of other groups in society. We would like to remind you that national interest is not confined to the interest of the ruling power. Also, in today’s age of communications, it is in fact impossible to prevent news being circulated globally. This is not the doing of victims or NGOs, but a blessing of increased media freedom — something that authoritarian regimes find it difficult to live with.
“The government of Pakistan, unlike established democracies, has failed to ensure the rule of law or an independent judiciary. As you yourself have stated on more than one occasions, the prevailing feudal mind set prevents justice for the most vulnerable sections of society, especially women. Who can deny that feudalism thrives under autocratic regimes.
“Even if it is assumed, for the sake of argument, that Pakistan is singled out, the matter is easy
to understand. Pakistan, unlike governments committed to following the rule of law, has never adopted a positive attitude towards tackling crimes against women. Instead, it has repeatedly been criticized for obstructing justice — as happened in the case of Dr Shazia.
“When governments are run on the whims of an individual, arbitrary actions, such as the detention of Mukhtaran Mai, occur more frequently.
“Grounds of national interest or the sensitivities of the president are no reasons to deny a woman justice. It is really regrettable that a person in your position has chosen to cast aspersions on the character of a woman who is in no position to defend herself. Mr president, this is precisely the mind set that condones violence against women.
“Mr president, you have not done well by yourself by claiming credit for giving women their rights. The fact is that the long struggle for the rights of women began in the region even before partition. It was carried forward in the 1980s by the brave women who endured stints in jail and lashes of the whip to protest the discriminatory laws put in place by a military dictator.
“Under your regime, these laws remain in place and thousands of women serve long terms in jail after being accused under them. How is the present regime’s record better than its predecessors’?
“Blowing hot and cold NGOs, at one point advising them to come forward and offer advice and praising their work, and at others, threatening them with dire action or accusing them of having a political agenda, too serves no purpose.’’
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