|
|
|
| October 8, 2005 | Saturday | Ramazan 3, 1426 |
Mukhtaran to get justice, says Aziz
SYDNEY, Oct 7: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz says that Mukhtaran Mai will get justice through court system in due time. “In every country it’s different. Justice delayed is justice denied, but if justice is rushed too fast, then you may get injustice,” he told the Australian public broadcaster SBS for its special feature on Mukhtaran Mai that was shown on Wednesday night in its Dateline programme.
Mr Aziz told a SBS reporter that women from different parts of the world should not be seen in a similar fashion.
“What is good for a woman in Australia may or may not be good for a woman here (in Pakistan) and vice versa. Therefore, I think one has to look at this with an open mind. The key is that the womenfolk like Mukhtaran Mai should feel if she has a problem, she can speak out and she will be heard,” he said.
The interview was conducted in Islamabad during the government-organized conference on violence against women.
The Sydney-based programme said Mukhtaran Mai was invited to the conference and seated in the front row, but she was not given the same treatment as the other delegates and was staying in a women’s shelter instead of a five-star hotel where all other invitees were provided accommodation.
She was also not invited for the official dinner at the Prime Minister’s residence, which, according to SBS, was “a glittering affair that attracts film directors, entrepreneurs, bankers, the political and ruling elite”.
Asked why she was not invited, the prime minister told the SBS reporter there were space problem.
“We also had a space restriction too because of the rain outside, we had to move people in, but she’s been to my house. Oh, yes. She was at the conference and she may be busy but she has been to see me and we’ve discussed her problems and the government has gone out of its way to help her,” the prime minister was shown as saying at the Australian TV network.
|
|
|
|
