Daily Times

Pakistan has had some great women role models and they have struggled for every inch of the way and we are proud of all such Pakistani women. Without any doubt Pakistani women are the most impressive and accomplished women on the planet. They’ve won Nobel Prizes, Oscars etc and are changing the way of our society functions as a whole. These outstanding women make Pakistani men and other women proud and, in turn, teach us all how to stand tall in the face of troubles.

But the question here is why women are not held equal to men even when constitution recognises women right yet they are still not granted to women because of cultural, traditional, social, economic, legal, religious and political causes. Article 25(1) of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan states, “All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.” Article 25(2) states, “There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone.” But on the other hand the state of Pakistan does not deliver to its female citizens when it comes to equal rights. It is very unfortunate but the Pakistani constitution does not view women as equal and productive citizens of the country. To add to the misfortune of these women, not only have elected Pakistani governments failed to legislate to protect the rights and honour of women, but instead they also have formulated several laws that protect perpetrators of violence against women.

In a country like Pakistan, the moment a girl takes birth; most of her decisions are already made. However, when a baby boy is born, his family would give him a chance to do whatever he pleases

In a country like Pakistan, the moment a girl takes birth; most of her decisions are already made for her. However, when a baby boy is born, his family would try to give him a chance to do whatever he likes. Most women are not allowed to go outside the premises of the house since the majority is from the rural areas. But why? Don’t they have rights like freedom of choice? Doesn’t Islam allow her to move around freely? Is this the way to behave with women? Why doesn’t anyone bring into consideration their emotions, feelings and happiness? Don’t they want to enjoy their lives for once? Are they not equal to men? Yes, they are equal to men and we need to understand their emotions. However, women are thought to be not worthy of importance. Until women and men are working together, shoulder to shoulder, this country wouldn’t develop or progress.

Recently, I had a chance to talk with some of the outstanding women of Pakistan, they constantly complained of having being isolated from mainstream society as ‘social outcasts’. They were on the view that women feel disillusioned on being maltreated by the male-oriented set up in Pakistan. However, if they are given a chance, they can contribute more positively towards the development of all social aspects. But sadly, Pakistani society usually adopts a hostile attitude towards the women. Their development in society is hindered due to many factors.

However, with national and provincial elections less than two months away, I want to request the political parties of Pakistan, to incorporate policies related to women’s rights in their manifesto’s. We can take an example from Sweden that is in the forefront in gender equality and women rights and has undertaken several important steps through legislation and implementation of reforms. Whoever wins General Election 2018, try to accommodate women on important seats and ministries rather accommodating them on women wings, as these wings hardly have any say in policy and organisational issues. Here, I want to acknowledge and appreciate PPP for pushing Sherry Rehman as leader of the opposition in the Senate. In past the PPP has appointed women to senior positions, so other main stream political parties should also learn from this act.

I strongly believe that empowering women with better education, being sensitive towards their health problems, ensuring equal job opportunities and respecting their rights will go a long way in transforming Pakistan.

The writer is a social and political activist based in Lahore. He has done his Maters and MPhil in Communication Studies.He can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com, tweets at Salmani_salu

Published in Daily Times, June 8^th 2018.