Negotiating Human Rights

sac #6:

Will you please write:

temporal3@hotmail.com

thnks,
t

CC:

First, thank you ‘Chowk Contributor’ for putting this up. And you too, Saima!

Wow -- powerful stuff -- am trying to sort out my thoughts as I write --- should not happen -- has been happening --- will continue to happen -- both the groups seem comfortable with power corridors --- classic wife abuse scenario -- with the traumatized wife yet again returning to her husband --- for what? --- some will get knocked off physically --- some emotionally scarred for life ----am throwing up my arms in frustration.

[chalo temporal kahiN aur chalo---- yahaaN waq`t mut zayah karo ---three deep breaths ----- doesn’t work ----- three more .........]

This pattern is universal.

In Pakistani scenario the only hope will come in the form of ascendancy of law and order. If ever! If we have a fair and unbowed judiciary as a first step, with mandatory police reforms there is hope yet. Or we will continue to slide down the abyss.

[One step for police reforms will be a simplified complaint procedure. Any citizen can and should lodge any complaint against another citizen in the appropriate police station. No FIR (First Information Report) bull. FIR is a discriminatory tool of first encounter designed by the colonial powers and retained by our brown sahibs.]

Of course like some starry eyed kid I am not suggesting that police reform and judiciary overhaul and empowerment will remove all injustices from our medieval society. There should be other remedial steps including education, awareness programs, the whole gamut
.....But a start has to be made.

By moving back Basama has damaged her cause irretrievably and taken the wind out of her well wishers and supporters.

sadly.

t


PS: Kabuliwallah: Much as I applaud your intentions, it is misplaced. Gender abuse and violence against the weaker segments of society is universal in nature. It happens everywhere. Raising awareness is the first step. This is the kind of Jehad that we desis can join hands and fight shoulder to shoulder.

Now domestic disputes are issues of human rights. As our friend tahmed321 would so eagerly point out `there are millions of people without running water` and here is the entire apparatus of the government(actually many foreign governments too) trying to resolve a domestic issue. Only in the land of the pure do we get conspiracy theories on this grand magnitude. Chowk is going to turn into a glorified Judge Judy if the rest of us keep quiet about this.

A disgusted

-sac

The root cause of most problems in Pakistan, including violence against women, stems from the breakdown of the country`s Criminal Justice System. If justice is served properly, it is certainly assured that there will be less: law and order problems; violation of basic human rights; nepotism; inequality; corruption; etc. Unfortunately, the true beneficiaries of such self-propelled anarchy in Pakistan are the public officials and their cronies who are least interested in reforming the system. Thus, they prefer to maintain the status quo at all cost.

However, it is theorized that Pakistan`s population is divided in three tiers: the public officials; the non-public officials; and the downtrodden class. The public officials of all rank (5% of the population) have suppressed the non-public officials (10% of the population) into submission and crushed the downtrodden class (85% of the population) into hopelessness. Currently, according to a rough estimate, more than 70% convicts in Pakistani jails were entrapped by this ruling class who blatantly misuse the government apparatus for their personal gain.

In other words, it is safe to assume that about 95% of the Pakistani population are enslaved by 5% of our own people, the public officials. Before 14 August, 1947, our forefathers dreamt of ``Freedom from Slavery`` from the easily identifiable foreigners, the British. But ironically, we chose to replace one master with another that resembles us!

So, as long as we keep on serving the public officials instead of the ``public servants`` serving us, we should not expect any significant improvement in our country; nothing will change, and our oppressed people will continue to suffer at the hands of our new masters.

kabuliwallay #2,

It`s still going to happen. Nice advice though.

Just goes on to show, there is something wrong with Pakistan..(India included). When society starts to accept these things without raising an eyebrow then that society is in decay. Law and Order are our own reflections. A new order needs to be established. And if corrective steps are not taken by the people responsible, with the active support of the masses, then there will come a time when only option that shall remain is violence.

To construct a new house on the same place, the old one has to be broken.

About the incident in particular, nothing much can be said about it. It`s disgusting.

Swami Vivekanda once said that there can be no peace and prosperity without the well-being of our Women Folk.

Pullu

On a sombre note, if I know South Asians then we will instead wait for a Prophet or an Avatara to come and redeem us.

re bahmad

``This sad and mind-boggling story needs no comment. However, if
Basmah wanted to save her marriage after all this ordeal, why did
she involve the Zehris?``

many women try to ``save`` even a horrendous marriage because they are afraid of retaliation against their family and the treatment they will receive from society in general if they leave. leaving an abuser is no guarantee that the abuse will cease. many women die at the hands of abusive husbands, even if they leave. think about the fear basma must experience if none of the so called authorities -- medical, bureaucratic, police -- will do anything to help her. but, will in fact, go against her. she knows how much the deck is stacked against her. most often, family members dont help out either, but ask the woman to sacrifice for the children, etc. and, lets say the woman leaves, then she has to struggle with raising a family on her own. its extremely difficult.

``What do we need to do to stop violence against the women?``

big question. violence against women is linked to the violence inherent in our system. there is violence against women, nature, children, men -- anyone ``weaker``, whom we can abuse and get away, or better still, exploit for material gain and get away with, we do. in fact, the system demands it. the violence can take an extreme and ugly form as in this instance, but its pretty much e v e r y w h e r e . . .

Attn: Indians

I urge, plead, implore, beseech you not to use this article as an oppurtunity to bait Pakistan. If we as a people find solace in the problems of others, I`m afraid we are a pitiful nation. Let us leave Pakistanis to their own miserable fate, we have enough goddamn miseries of our own. And please, no more joint Indo-Pak solving of problems.

regards,

Kabuli

ps. Sorry for the sermon

This sad and mind-boggling story needs no comment. However, if Basmah wanted to save her marriage after all this ordeal, why did she involve the Zehris? Perhaps family disputes need to be resolved by the immediate family, or by qualified family counsellors. Are women battered more in present-day Pakistan? If yes, why? What do we need to do to stop violence against the women?

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad