January 16, 2005

EVERY so often we read in the newspapers, the tragic tale of a woman being burnt or publicly humiliated by her near and dear ones. Call it karo-kari or call it khoon-baha, it still remains one of the most degrading and humiliating facts of our society; that whilst we are living in the 21st century, we are still practising the norms of the Dark Ages

Some time back, the rape of Mukhtaran Bibi was reported in the local media. This occurred in the Moza Khel, at the orders of the local jirga. Thank God, this time round, the law wasn’t blind and the accused are now behind bars awaiting justice. The other, equally humiliating, if not more, incident occurred in the Mianwali District.

There, according to the khoon baha (murder settlement) custom, eight minor girls, ranging from ages 1 1/2 to 17 years, were offered as ‘wives’ to the family of the victim’s party. This was other than the eight million rupees that were paid, according to the local ‘law’. What do the girls have anything to do in all of this? Where was the law that is suppose to protect them? Soon after the so-called settlement, two of the minor girls (both 17 and 14 years of age) were wedded (following Nikah) to two old men of ages ranging 75 and 55 respectively. Both these incidents were reported in the national dailies of the country. But you know what is the sad thing here? That this has been going on and will continue to do so for ages to come.

Sometimes I am forced to think of how mean and timid man really is. Killing in the name of ghairat or honour, and the exploitation of innocent women, even minor girls is widespread in Pakistan. The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has reported that in 1998 and 1999 more than 850 women were murdered by their husbands, brothers, fathers or other relatives in the Punjab province alone. In most of those cases, the commission reported that the woman was suspected and accused of ‘immoral’ behaviour. In 1997, some 300 women are estimated to have been killed in the name of ‘honour’, yet again, in the Punjab province. However, these practices are rampant throughout the country. Annually, more than a thousand honour killings take place. And these are the ones that the HRCP says, are reported. Many more simply don’t see the light of the day. Some of the popular reasons for killing a woman are:

Failure in love marriage/marital disputes

Lack of jahaiz (dowry)

Chronic revenge

Failiure to produce a male child

Revenge

Poverty

Illicit relation of their women with other male strangers

One of the most common ways of getting rid of an innocent soul is by burning her to death. “The stove exploded,” is the most common of explanations and since it has been made to look like an accident, our protectors, the police, can’t do much about it. The reason for such an act can range from not bringing ‘enough’ dowry to the mere fact that the girl failed to deliver a male child. In 1998 and 1999, the HRCP reported that more than 560 cases of women burned at home; these were registered in Punjab alone.

The Progressive Women’s Association, which assists attack victims, tracked 3,560 women who were hospitalized after being burned at home, with fire, gasoline or acid, between 1994 and 1999. Shahnaz Bokhari of the Progressive Women’s Association in Islamabad says that since March 1994, the Association has monitored 1,600 cases of women who were burnt in their homes in Rawalpindi and Islamabad alone. Again, these are only the reported cases.

Sometime back, I had the opportunity of visiting the native village of a friend in NWFP. Actually, it was more within the northern tribal areas of Pakistan. We were suppose to be on vacation. There, my friend’s grandfather is the Khan (lord) of the local jirga. The old man, proud of his heritage, showed us his double barrel gun. And then he claimed: “I myself have killed several women and men, decided by the jirga to be killed.” He further elaborated, in fact stressed that such an execution takes place, just after Fajr prayers as if trying to justify the act in a religious context.

To many men in our country, the concept of a love marriage is absolutely beyond conventional and religious wisdom. There are many stories where a boy and a girl flee together, after their families refuse them consent to marry. Here again, my friend’s grandfather had some scary revelations. “In case of a fleeing couple, we assign a person (or persons), however, the case might be, to execute them both; they have no right to live!” During my stay there, I was advised to keep my head covered and don’t dare look up; I had to keep my eyes glued to the ground. Some vacation!

A few years back, news broke into the local newspapers of a family consisting of seven members, including children and infants, who were brutally murdered. Their skulls had been smashed with a sledgehammer. Following investigations it was revealed that the couple had years before, married without the consent of their elders and now they and their children and other loved ones had paid the price for their folly. Suspicion too, is at times reason good enough to kill someone. As was the case when a bus driver in the city killed both his mother and aunt because he suspected them of being involved with another male!

The security guard at the office where I work, told me his really disturbing tale. “I came to Karachi, from my native village , to earn a living. My wife is here with me, but we don’t have any children. So whenever I leave for work, I lock my wife inside the house because I don’t trust her.”

In any given year, hundreds of murders are reported in Pakistan. Most of the victims are women. The Special Task Force for Sindh of the HRCP received reports of 196 cases of karo-kari killings from the province in 1998. The real number of such killings is of course vastly greater than those reported. And then there the tradition of marrying one’s daughter to the Holy Quran! Girls are even forced to marry a tree. What then to talk of something as trifle as the news of a mature girl being wed to a 12-year-old boy!

We live in a society that is in dire need of immediate medical attention; psychological above everything else. Believe me, we can set everything right just by getting our mindset right.

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