It is not easy being a woman in Pakistan. It is indeed like the analogy that one made to the Ugly Duckling of Charles Dickens’ novel. Living with the stigma of femininity, ordered to cover up, a woman is treated as an ugly progeny of nature.

Pakistan is high on honor. Honor is a word that men in Pakistan have given a new meaning to. At some places, they have combined honor with religion, at others with tribalism. The result however is the same everywhere – subjugation of women to the extent that their human features have been taken away and now they are no more than a piece of land owned by the male members of the society. However, this piece of land has not been farmed properly. So now it stands as a terra nullius, a land without an owner.

In Pakistan, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of reported rape cases. Like Suketu Mehta sharply pointed, rape marks the beginning of all wars. If that were true then would it be safe to hypothesize that Pakistan is at the brink of a war, with women on one side and men on the other? Or has this battle already begun. And if it has, how do we end it? Unfortunately, this is a Machiavellian world that we live in. Pakistan is stuck centuries behind time. And like Machiavelli suggested to the Prince,

“The battle must be ended. Therefore my advice is this. Treat with Caterina Sforza under a white flag and under the pretense of peace. Then seize her and take her captive. Once she is captive, strip her of her fine garments and place her in an iron cage to parade her in front of the rebel troops, and rape her before their eyes before you kill her. The enemy forces will know their leader is captured and humiliated, and the magnitude of this deed will so horrify them that they will flee from battle and fear and never raise arms against your might again."


However, even sadder is the fact that the head of the state is no Prince, he is a weak military dictator who talks like an ignorant and illiterate weasel. President Musharraf blatantly made comments suggesting that rape has become a money-making concern in Pakistan.

"A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped."


Sonia Naz is the latest victim of the system. Raped and tortured by the putative custodian of her honor and her country – the police, a woman is put on the stand yet again to fight for her right to co-exist in this patriarchal society.

Sonia Naz was arrested when she intruded the respectable parliament in session as her last resort to find out about the otherwise inexplicable absence of her husband. After a detention of five or six days, Ms. Naz reports that Faisalabad investigation police SP Khalid Abdullah came there and tortured her.

She alleged that the SP tore her clothes and tried to rape her. On failure, he urinated in her mouth. There you have it ladies and gentlemen, the side benefits of being able to stand and pee. The SP then ordered two of his men to rape her.

Before her was Dr. Shazia Khalid and before Dr. Shazia Khalid was Mukhtar Mai. These are the strong women who stood up and spoke out against the crime that was committed against them. But who knows how many more have been raped and were made silent by their families in the name of honor.

In some regions of the world, women are respected. Greek Mythology celebrates her as Gaia or Mother Earth. She is also Aphrodite – the Goddess of love and beauty. She is Athena – the Goddess of Wisdom. She can even be Lolita, the child-like Hindu Goddess who takes delight in all play and pleasure. The universe is a toy to her, created for her enjoyment.

But in Pakistan, she is not even considered a human, let alone a Goddess. In Pakistan, she is a subordinate meant to follow men blinded by religion and traditional values, and ruled by an army dictator with the wisdom of an ignorant peasant.