KARACHI: Aurat Foundation on Monday evening introduced the book Parkatey Parindey, an Urdu translation of Birds without Wings by Dr Annie Irshad to the media at the Karachi Press Club (KPC).

Speaking on the occasion, Mahnaz Rahman said the foundation has had many press conferences on violence against women but the book is the first one in which those Pakistani girls and women are mentioned who face domestic violence not in Pakistan but in the United States.

It is a big social issue. It was the author of the book, Ms Irshad, who got in touch with Sheema Kermani and her (Ms Rahman) and told them that about the stories in the book. They contain stories which are to do with the fact that when a man from abroad asks a Pakistani woman’s hand in marriage, it is generally thought that the rishta would be a good one. That’s not necessarily the case.

The translator of the book, Ghazala Fasih, said women, be they living in Asia or America, have to suffer the worst kind of violence. Dr Annie Irshad through her book has given voice to voiceless women. As per a demographic survey carried out in the US, every minute 20 men and women, mostly the latter, fall victim to violence; and one out of every four women has to bear the worst physical torture.

Author says purpose of book was to make people aware of what’s happening to South Asian women in US

However, in American society, such an act is reported and action is taken against the perpetrator. In Pakistan, according to a 2018 survey, 28 per cent women face violence either from their life partners or relatives. There are countless incidents which don’t get reported.

Ms Fasih said when she first met Dr Irshad, she had already written Birds without Wings. She wanted it to present it in the Urdu version. “I read the book and felt a shock. Even in a society like America where there is rule of law such horrible incidents take place. The author has quoted an incident that took place in Texas where an Asian woman became so affected by violence that she first killed her children and then committed suicide.”

Sheema Kermani said one and a half years back the author gave her the book to read. The first thing that struck her in the book was the abovementioned incident in which a woman killed her children and herself. It reminded her of the Greek tragedy, Medea. The incident led to the establishment of the shelter house, Daya. The stories in the book are painful and heart wrenching. We know that it’s happening in our society, but we don’t realise that it can happen in the US as well. So the commitment of the author and the organisation that she volunteered was important.

“Not only was she working in that shelter and helping the women who were going through a tough time, but also wrote their stories. That commitment must be praised,” she said.

Ms Kermani said the author has fictionalised nothing in the book. The problem with us is that our values are not changing. Values such as ‘once the girl gets married, only her dead body will come out of her husband’s place’ must change. “We need to finish those. New ideas must come forward.”

Dr Annie Irshad said the purpose of writing the book along with her sister Maria was clear: people should be aware of what’s happening to South Asian women in the US.

A doctor by profession, the writer said she used to think that domestic violence only happened in Pakistan and girls would be safe in the US. What she saw in the US made her think that the mentality [of desis] is poorer than those who live in Pakistan.

“I started working at the shelter home as a volunteer. The stories in the book cover four years, 2016 to 2020. During those years I counselled 50 clients but not a majority of them were comfortable with their stories being written,” she said and hoped that the book would reach a wider audience.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2022