Daily Times

Ours is a male-dominated world. Since times immemorial men in every society have enjoyed ascendency and preference over women in social status and greater rights as compared to their opposite sex. In some societies this phenomenon has been entrenched to the extent of denial of rights to women and even persecution duly approved by society. That was probably the reason that the French poet and writer of medieval ages, Christine de Pison, appalled by the social status of women, for the first time, espoused the cause of gender equality, and in that respect, she enjoys the status of being the pioneer of the movement for gender equality. Gender equality basically refers to full equality of men and women to enjoy complete range of political, economic, civil, social and cultural rights with no one being denied access to these rights or deprived of them because of their sex.
A close look at the success stories of developed nations would reveal that their journeys to progress and prosperity invariably materialised with the participation of women folk. And that was made possible by ensuring gender equality and their empowerment through legislative measures as well as through education systems that guaranteed universality and equal opportunities to all segments of society.
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was absolutely right when in a 1944 speech he said: “No nation can rise to the heights of glory unless its women are side by side with men; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.” There could not have been a better exposition of the debilitating and oppressing circumstances that Muslim women of the subcontinent found themselves in.
After the partition, the situation in Pakistan in regards to the participation of women in the national effort and their rights was as dismal as described by the Quaid-e-Azam. Among a multitude of factors that hindered the mainstreaming of women and their participation in the nation building process were: lack of education, poverty, patriarchal value system, religious misinterpretation, anti-women legislation and a skewed judicial system. No discernible or worthwhile effort was made to end discrimination, harassment and violence against women. They continued to be treated as inferior human beings and were deliberately kept out of the national mainstream by successive regimes whose prime concern was to protect their vested interests through perpetuation of the archaic feudal system of governance that discouraged participation of women in the nation-building task. Society also remained criminally oblivious to this injustice and blatant abuse of human rights. Religious fanaticism and bigotry that held sway over society have also acted as debilitating factors in regards to emancipation of women. Discrimination against women and denial of rights to them has been probably the biggest fault line in our society that has hamstrung our progress to sustained growth and enlightenment. The other fault line decidedly has been the subservience of the silent majority to the antics of the religious fanatics and the proponents of dogmas unabashedly using violence to foist their skewed notions about Islam on the entire society.
Basically it is the responsibility of government to ensure equal rights for all segments of society, including women, and spearheading the process of addressing the societal fault lines. But, unfortunately, the successive governments succumbed to political expediencies and lacked the spunk to take up the challenge. Nevertheless, some recent developments indicate a discernible departure from this culture of indifference, apathy and criminal negligence practised by successive governments. Women empowerment and gender equality seem to have become a top priority of the incumbent government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PNL-N). The Punjab Protection Of Women Against Domestic Violence Bill 2016, which is being vehemently opposed by religious circles, is credible evidence to this fact, and which also strengthens credentials of the party as an entity transiting towards liberalism. It is being hailed as such by almost all liberal forces in the country and advocates of women rights and gender equality.
Yet another move to address the fault lines was defiance of the religious fanatics by the Sharif government in hanging Mumtaz Qadri, killer of Salmaan Taseer, putting aside the political expediencies. That surely will help in eliminating the fear that had been instilled in society by these fanatics who professed intolerance. It would probably also contribute to erasing the widely held view of the PML-N having connections with religious extremists in southern Punjab.
The judiciary also deserves accolades for helping in addressing one of the biggest fault lines in society by dismissing the appeal of Qadri against death penalty, and, unequivocally, declaring two things. One that criticising the blasphemy law did not constitute blasphemy, and second that only the state could punish a blasphemer, and no individual had the right to execute private justice. That is actually what the Islamic concept of justice is. In my considered view, a narrative needs to be developed against religious extremism and dogmatic philosophies, and it must be widely disseminated to clear the minds of people in regard to distorted versions of Islam propagated by these elements. Government also needs to stay on course now that it has decided to throw the gauntlet at these elements.
If Pakistan has to tread the path envisioned by the Quaid and earn its rightful place in the comity of nations, it will have to shed the undesirable and debilitating baggage as soon as possible. Socio-economic development is inextricably linked to liberal and progressive culture deriving its strength from social justice and equality of human beings. A liberal national agenda is imperative to lift Pakistan out of the quagmire of contradictions that it is stuck in, and to unleash the forces of national integration that are vital to face the challenges confronting the country at the moment.

The writer is a retired diplomat, a freelance columnist and a member of the visiting faculty of the Riphah Institute of Media Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com