Daily Times

Man & woman both are creation of God and both have been blessed with six senses to decided between good and bad.

God does not like the noblest of his creatures to be fighting each other.

One feels hurt to see un pleasant remarks & some of the odd video clips on TV channels and social media showing cross-firing and heated arguments among men and women which looked to be insulting for both sides equally. It is unfortunate to note that both sides do not have plausible arguments as it seemed they were doing it for cheap publicity and a sense of false representation of respective gender. Let me clear this fact that no religion in this world allows men or women to disrespect each other irrespective of which religion or sect they belong to. God has created both man and woman as the best creation and made us the Ashraf ulMukhluqa’t. Allah says in the Quran, “Indeed, We have created humans in the best constitution (equipoised in the finest proportion).” Do we ever wonder why; that is because God gave us the sense to differentiate between right and wrong.

We must think deep that even the sense to feel respect and disrespect is created by Allah as part of consistent features to keep our sense of pride intact. Let us observe further that our happiness and unhappiness revolves around our sense of respect and disrespect. We work hard because we want to achieve a sense of success and success attracts respect both in terms of personal achievement and also it gets your position elevated among your soundings and earn respect. This sense of achievement is not restricted to the man but the woman has equal rights and hence both stand with an equal number of chances. The sense of respect has paramount importance in our religion and today’s life. Respect makes the real difference between wife and husband, father and son, mother and daughter, mother in law & daughter in law hence the “SENSE OF RESPECT” is the only main bond which keeps these important relationships tied together.

Let us not make our religion disputed and say our bodies of both genders are regulated by our almighty Allah and not the will of individuals

Even among the worldly relations, the bond between an employer and employee, a male and female, a teacher and a student, all are largely dependent on sense and level of respect. World history is a witness to the fact that female is always treated as inferior which was unfair but modern history treating the woman of today differently. Having said so let us confess that the women are physically weaker as compared to men but does it mean that men are now entitled to treat them badly or take their rights away as she is weaker and force their wishes on them? No, and not at all and then women are justified in demanding to stop discrimination against them.

Let me raise a point here that women might be physically weaker than men but mentally and emotionally, they are much stronger that’s why they are known as the architects of our society and also paradise is under the feet of mothers. Let us throw some light on the rights of women that Islam has given to them. A woman has a right to take KHULLA if she decides to not live with her man and this is the power that no one can take away from her and not even the court/ Qazi. Why? Because this veto power has been given to her by Allah to feel protected. If my Allah protects the woman then who is the man to defy what ALLAH has decided a course of love and affection and care for woman. We are blessed with the religion which teaches us the respect and honour of both male and female members of society and it is Islam that teaches a woman that “IT IS YOUR BODY AND IT IS YOU WHO HAS TO PROTECT IT BY NOT DISPLAYING”. HENCE THE DIRECTIONS OF GOD ARE VERY LOUD CLEAR AND WOMAN PROTECTION BECOMES THE JOINT RESPONSIBILITY OF BOTH GENDERS.

HENCE LET US NOT MAKE OUR RELIGION DISPUTED AND SAY OUR BODIES OF BOTH GENDERS ARE REGULATED BY OUR ALMIGHTY ALLAH AND NOT THE WILL OF INDIVIDUALS.

Disrespecting a woman is not an option in any religion, In my personal view the woman should not be humiliated or insulted on media or otherwise as she is your mother, sister, daughter and therefore she deserves your love and respect keeping the relevancies of your relationship accordingly.

It is none of anyone’s business if a woman is divorced and decides to remarry as it is no crime because our religion itself has permitted them to do so. That is the power given to both men and women to terminate the relationship if the sense of respect is missing.

In light of the above facts, if you think whether a woman should march for her rights or not, I ask why not? I say that let our women march for their respect & their honor -let them demand for their empowerment & equal rights in Governance. Let them ask for stringent laws to save them from rapes & domestic violence. Let them march to save the Zainabs of my country. I stand with u all

In the end, I have a piece of advice that abusing women or men to be treated as a crime and should be punishable for one year and a lifetime ban on an appearance on the electronic media.

I think we need to have such strict actions to reform our society and to create a sense of respect for each other.Let us not be un-Islamic in our approaches towards life and let us be enlightened by following the will of God.

All my dear women elite please march for your rightsand I standby you in my humble capacity -Best wishes for today

Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and not necessarily to reflect the views or opinions of my party.

The writer is Former Interior Minister of Pakistan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Chairman of Think Tank “Global Eye”