ISLAMABAD, June 29: President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday offered to organise a conference for female victims of injustice and invite them to narrate their ordeals and recommend remedial measures.

“The government would ensure that such a conference will be representative of different types of women victimizations occurring all over the world rather than single out any one country,” the president said in response to a number of e-mails addressed to him on his official website —www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk — about Mukhtaran Mai.

President Musharraf voiced the government’s firm resolve to remedy the malaise of humiliating treatment of women in society and declared his government’s commitment to help all victims, including Mukhtaran Mai, in their quest for justice according to law.

President Musharraf justified his decision to slap a travel ban on Mukhtaran Mai, saying it was in the best national interest as he felt the invitation would have “tarnished Pakistan’s international image rather than help improve the lot of womenfolk in Pakistan or elsewhere in the world.”

Continuing, he said he suspected a strong ulterior intent of maligning Pakistan by vested interests, rather than sincerely helping Mukhtaran Mai out.

The president observed that it would have been appropriate had the organizers of the conference focused on a holistic approach to discussing violence against cases occurring all over the world: with case studies of not just Mukhtaran Mai alone but others also to keep the subject in perspective.

“However, in this case I felt that Pakistan was being singled out without taking into consideration the government’s efforts to assist in her ordeal,” he asserted.

“It has been unfairly assumed that the government is not supportive of Mukhtaran Mai in her quest for justice. These assumptions are absolutely incorrect.”

“Let me make it absolutely clear that Mukhtaran Mai is free to go wherever she pleases, meet whoever she wants and say whatever she pleases,” President Musharraf said.

“I have full faith in her and in her patriotism.”

He expressed surprise that while the government had made tremendous headway in emancipating womenfolk through enlightened policies, none of these achievements were kept in mind when Pakistani society was labelled as retrogressive.

The president said he had always condemned in the strongest possible terms the actions of powerful groups to seek revenge against those who are weak and those who humiliate women. —APP