Seeking justice for women

The international women's day this year comes less than a week after Mukhtaran Mai's rapists were set free by the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court. The tears that Mukhtaran Mai shed on hearing the verdict symbolize not just her own agony and pain but that of all those who have been struggling for the emancipation and empowerment of women in Pakistan.

The mere fact that a day should be earmarked by the international community to highlight the cause of women is proof that their status world wide is still so abysmal that people have to be reminded about it.

Having observed this day for thirty years, societies have at least realized that they cannot progress sufficiently if they do not take their women along in the development process.

In Pakistan, even the achievement of the modest goal of closing the gender gap in every walk of life will mean an enormous step forward for women who are woefully trailing behind men in every sector.

Whether it is the state of literacy (28.5 per cent), their health status (maternal mortality is 500 per 100,000 live births), economic empowerment (36 per cent are in the workforce), or their participation in decision-making (only nine per cent of administrators, senior officials and managers are women), there is still a long way to go. But there is one area in which Pakistan actually seems to be regressing. That is in violence against women, which is on the rise. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in the first eight months of last year, 2,367 women suffered physical abuse of which 464 were killed in the name of honour.

Statistics do not capture the agony of women who suffer violence, be it in the confines of their homes or at the hands of rapists lurking around or, worse still, when it is sanctioned by unlawful jirgas or a judicial system delivering judgement under discriminatory laws promulgated in the name of Islam.

Such is the level of protection provided by the state today that no woman in Pakistan feels safe even in her own home. This is the most agonizing aspect of women's life. It leaves them at the mercy of their tormentors, and in many cases the judicial system provides no relief.

Every time a person accused of rape is set free by the court because of lack of evidence, it has grave implications. It sends out the message to other men with evil intentions that they can go scott free if they are powerful and influential But the tide is turning the womens' way. They have begun to fight back against the injustices perpetrated on them. The Women's Action Forum which will complete 25 years of its existence next year has shown the way.

When women feel they have been wronged, they have learnt to rally together and resist. Mukhtaran Mai is doing that. The government will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Multan bench.

Dr Shazia, another unfortunate rape victim (in Sui), is also fighting her case. Many victims of the infamous Hudood Ordinances have also won their freedom because women groups came together and provided them legal and moral support. The biggest victory of the women is the support they have gained from humanist and fair-minded men. This is the light that shines at the end of the tunnel.

Widening the tax base

The government's plan to widen the tax base using data collected from secondary sources seems ill-advised. While the intention of increasing tax payers is understandable, the manner in which it wants to carry out this plan is flawed.

The idea is to detect tax evaders by comparing data taken from the income tax department with information collected from utility and mobile phone companies, banks, travel agencies and even leading clubs of the country.

By cross- checking the data, the Central Board of Revenue wants to identify those big spenders whose names are missing from the income tax rolls. This move is understood to be part of a drive by the government to double the country's taxpayers to reach the figure of 2.4 million by the time of the next budget.

One wonders why the government is resorting to secondary data when it has with it results of an exhaustive tax survey conducted in 2000 which identified in great detail both tax evaders and those who are underpaying their taxes. These survey results should be utilized at the earliest.

A more meaningful approach by the government would be to start widening the tax base horizontally. Statistics collected by it in the tax survey will show how many professionals and traders have been left out of the tax rolls. A large part of the retail sector also remains out of the tax net.

At the same time, successive CBR chiefs have complained that they do not have the necessary powers to move against errant officials who allow such a narrow base of tax liability to continue. That is why, any move to widen the base must also include giving autonomy to the CBR in respect of financial and administrative functions so that it can carry out its own recruitment, postings, transfers, promotions and devise its own policies.

An integrated approach towards making the CBR more efficient and autonomous as well as introducing laws that would allow the organization to sustain these reforms should be part of its reorganization process. Simplification of tax laws, self-compliance and minimizing the contact between taxpayers and the collectors need to be part of that process.

Let's play cricket

Pakistan begin a three-Test series against India at Mohali today. Coming soon after a disastrous tour of Australia, not even the most optimistic among us may be willing to put their money on the tourists in a series in which India are clearly the odds-on favourites.

They have an edge in all departments of the game, especially in batting. Their fielding, too, has improved immeasurably and, in addition to their traditional superiority in spin bowling, they now have a more than efficient pace attack.

As against this, Pakistan have a suspect top order which was swept aside time and again in Australia both in the Test matches and in the Victoria Bitter tri-series. In the lower middle order, Abdul Razzak and Shahid Afridi showed glimpses of their prowess but they fell far short of expectations. Shahid Afridi, in particular, is his own worst enemy.

Otherwise, there is not a bowling attack in the world he cannot take apart. Danish Kineria was one of the few successes on the Australian tour but he may find the going tough in India where the batsmen are brought up from the cradle on his type of leg spin.

At 35, skipper Inzamamul Haq is not getting any younger and his deputy, Younis Khan, will find his talent fully tested in games in which Inzamam decides to stand down. No matter what happens on the field, the tourists, we are sure, are more than capable of contributing their bid to the normalisation of relations between their country and India. Spring is in the air. So is love.

Let its not be said of our boys that they did not make millions of friends in cricket-crazy India, or that they did not play the game the way it is meant to be played.