Mukhtar Mai

A bit erratic because the message jumps around but as far as the
focus is concerned, the reader is being hit by a sledgehammer here.

Many will feel uncomfortable after reading this and that in itself may be the partial intent of this writing.

Sadness, anguish, rage and impotence is what the reader may feel.

A four star effort that has subdued the readers into silence.

Ras

Very heartfelt... I think the phrase ``Mukhtar Mai excites my respect`` was a bit ill-chosen, though.

As you know, this case was not just about a feudal who saw a woman in the fields and decided to rape her. It was about her brother, a young boy, who was seen speaking to a woman of a higher class (I am not sure what her relationship was with the feudals of the area but I believe she was one of their daughters and also older to the boy). To punish him for his insolence, a group of the feudal henchmen caught the boy and sodomized him, then raped his sister, Mukhtar Mai (a divorcee, not a maiden, as far as I know) as further punishment.

A barbaric act no matter which way you look at it. I hope the young brother is also receiving the same medical treatment and emotional support that Mukhtar Mai is receiving.

Of interest: Rozan, an Islamabad NGO that treats child sexual abuse, presented Mukhtar Mai with a chaddar made of pieces of cloth given by women from all over the province - about five hundred different squares of cloth. This gesture was meant to show that the women of Pakistan - the ordinary ones, not the politicians - supported her plight. I only wish I could have added a piece of cloth to that chaddar.

We, the people, cannot exist without the feudal. Pakistan, at its heart, is a feudal society. The real Pakistan, which is not represented by the urbanized cities, lives in the hinterlands and there the writ of the government does not exist, but the people live in dread of the feudal, be he a Malik, Sardar, Saeen or a Chaudary.

The power of the feudal over his subjects is a trully awe inspiring sight and has to be seen to be appreciated. Upon his pleasure, are the balanced the questions of life and death for his subjects and his wish is absolute.

Pakistan will never rid itself of feudalism, because in its soul it is a fedual society and will always remain as one.

Ciao

[This gesture was meant to show that the women of Pakistan - the ordinary ones, not the politicians - supported her plight. I only wish I could have added a piece of cloth to that chaddar. ]

Binoo..I wish I could have too. What a powerful gesture. And who can suggest that women in Pakistan live in darkness?

Re: #1, 2 and 3.

A good, `feel` piece and eminently acceptable even if -- or because of being -- a light year separated from the humdrum factual world. My overall reaction corresponds with Ras` in #1 below.

Points highlighted by Bina are important and necessary for contextual import; a must even for a `feel` piece, in fact, especially so. I felt satisfied and good; Shaikh would, one so hopes, benefit from the idea of the constraints of context.

Feroz K`s `explanation` is pungent, fractious and relevant, but not to this piece.

Finally, an article on the real problem in Pakistan: feudalism. After reading all these articles on the military and the maulvi, one would think they were the main problems of Pakistan. They have created some, and many problems, but nothing in comparison to the feudal.

There are good maulvis and bad ones. There are good Generals and bad ones. There are good businessmen and bad ones. But there are no good feudals. The whole profession is evil and inhumane. It is like being a robber or a rapist, but at a much higher, more powerful level.

They run Pakistan. Then there kids run Pakistan. And then their grandkids run Pakistan. If a maulvi or a General wants his kids to run the country, he does not send him into the military. He makes sure they join the feudal group or party. Because that is where the real power lies. They marry them to a feudal girl or into a feudal political party (Gohar Ayub and Ejaz-ul-Haq being two prime examples). .

The liberal feudal is now the most dangerous entity in Pakistan. He/she presents a liberal view to the rest of the world, thereby getting the naive commentators of the Western media on his/her side - BB being the prime example. He/she hides behind the veil of democracy and is its biggest champion, while ensuring his/her own lands are ruled heriditaroly by his/her off-springs. He/she subjugates the common rural Pakistani, like a plantation owner subjugating a Black slave.

Unfortunately, the feudals are one of the few groups in Pakistan, whose next generations are better off in Pakistan, than abroad. These next generations are also very well educated now - Benazir being their poster child. These next generations have not only taken over the political debate of Pakistan, through parties like the PPP and PML, they have taken over the liberal social debate of Pakistan, as well. The true intellectual liberals of Pakistan end up leaving the country, or are too powerless to practically impact any debate from the inside. This vacuum is filled by the feudal off-spring.

It is indeed the tragedy of Pakistan, that its most liberal and leftist political party, PPP was started by and still dominated by feudals. Feudalism and liberalism are two opposites of each other. This indicates the hypocrisy of Pakistan`s feudalism - not to mention Pakistan`s political powerholders.

Within three levels of cousins, most provincial feudals in the PPP are related to feudals in the PML in the same province - and vice-versa. They are one and the same group. Deep down in their heart of hearts, the two major political parties of Pakistan, the PPP and PML, are nothing more than two feudal groups, working with each other to ensure that Pakistan remains a feudal state. Cousins in one party, neices in the other. Abida Hussain in one political party, her nephew Faisal Saleh Hayat in the other. Ghulam Mustapha Khar (his daughter a model writing articles in English magazines, while her brother throws acid on his wife`s face) in one party, and his close relative in the other. Benazir Bhutto in one party, and Uncle Mumtaz Bhutto in the other. The list goes on and on, but the last names haven`t changed since 1947.

I have not lived in feudal Sindh, but I have lived in the heart of feudal
Southern Punjab for quite a bit. As Ferozek has stated, it is truly a sight to see how these feudals operate - an extremely disgusting sight, I might add. So much so, that after living in those areas, I do not even like talking to the children of feudals, who used to be my friends in Lahore and Islamabad and Karachi, anymore.

I cannot imagine even an ignorant mullah treating women like that. What is even more sickening is to see the kids of these feudals arguing for democracy and for women`s rights - the most hypocritical lot in Pakistan. For every Yale educated daughter of theirs, who comes to her, ``farmland`` for vacation from her big home in Defence Society, there are thousands of potential Mukhtar Mais living in fear of their feudal masters and mistresses, who literally own their livelihoods.

I think it is the duty of every patriotic Pakistani to ensure these generations of feudal politicians are discarded, and the poltical parties they rule over are reformed (PPP belongs to Pakistan - not to the Bhuttos).

The feudals and their non-feudal political cronies who have married into them and their political parties - the Ayubs, and the Bhuttos, and the Legharis, and the Makhdooms, and the Khars and the Jatois, and the Saifullahs and the Khattaks, and the Amin Fahims, and Mazaris and the Bugtis, et al and their kids need to be kicked out of the power corridors of Pakistan, as well as out of the journalistic debates of Pakistan.

I will support a mullah ruled Pakistan over a feudal ruled Pakistan, anyday. Both are evil, but a mullah will at most force peasant women to remain indoors, and will have a critical press attacking him, while he does so, highlighting the problems of mullahism. A feudal, on the other hand, will ensure a system is maintained in his land where that same peasant woman is gang raped and forced to walk naked in front of everyone, while his own daughters will be busy explaining the benefits of feudalism to the rest of Pakistan as Prime Ministers and editorial writers in the Pakistan media.

Feudal govts. will never prosecute cases like Mukhtar Mai, because they are dependent on the support of the feudals whose supporters commit such crimes.

Re: Romair # 6

Brilliantly said, my friend!

It is the feudals who run this nation; from the politicans to the generals and to the local village mullah to the industrialists and the bureaucrats. These feudals have inter-married their children into each strata of the Pakistani society and have become, in the process, the fabric of our lives. To unravel the thread of feudalism from within Pakistan will mean tearing apart the fabric of Pakistan and therein lies their security.

Ciao

Now why arnt the Maulvis and the fundos out on the streets rampaging through bazaars protesting this gruesome rape? Had the panchayat leaders been Israelis or Hindus we would have seen every beard in Pakistan out on the street burning, looting and dancing like savages on CNN. Just because the perpetrators were our own people doesnot make the crime any less.

Everytime I read about the tragedy of Mukhtar Mai I see red! Thats when I yearn for revenge, an eye for an eye. All the people who participated in this act should be sodomized in front of everyone in the village, repeatedly by as many people as were involved with Mukhtar Mai and her brother. The Panchayat leaders who gave the orders should be tied down naked on donkeys and paraded throughout the village while all the villagers spit on them. All the policemen on duty at the village should be forced to participate in these acts and then allowed to continue their duties in the same village (I will see how long they last).
The Government of Pakistan should provide for the relocation of Mukhtar Mai`s family, if they want to, to other parts of Pakistan fully paid and more (I will be more than willing to pay for this personally if the government doesnt want to). I grew up in a feudal atmosphere and I know that more painful than death to a village leader is to be shamed infront of the village. These Panchayat leaders would never be able to look anyone in the eye again, they might even have to leave the village. And thats exactly what we want - a full purge of scum!

Let this be a lesson to all the feudals or whoever thinks they are above the law.

Yusaf Khan

Pitiful.

Feudalism still exists because of a lack of democracy. In a reliable democratic system the common man will stand in elections, others will vote for him. When the common person knows that even elected representative have no real powers(the military can take over any time) they are forced to abide by feudal law.

Pakistan is not the first country in the world to face this problem. Every nation in the world has had the same problem some time in the past. My guess is all of them had the same solution. Real power to the common man in the street. Real democracy.

Indian Punjab was probably very similar to Pakistani punjab before partition. However feudalism does not exist any more.....One could say that the political families are a form of feudalism, but they are answerable to the common man.

Bottomline, you guys are missing the point...You are blaming the feudals......They are just milking the system......Powerful people anywhere in the world would. The real problem is that public opinion in pakistan stands for nothing........The powerful(military, feudals) control everyting.

feudals control only agriculture. The service and manuafcturing sectors are outside feudal control in a market economy. All this excuse about feudals is a diversion from real causes of Pakistani current situation - illiteracy, poor institutions, bloated military, foreign policy adventures in Kashmir and Afghanistan.

# 11 by bbabu on December 10, 2002 11:49pm PT

What about the army. There must be high ranked officers in the army from feudal backgrounbds. How tough is it for them to realise that army has the real power.

most of the current army generals are not feudals. May be romair can provide more information on it.

There has been concern that junior officers are from the lower middle classes which has become more radical and Islamic in their world view.

bbabu. You are right the Paksitan army is not the same as it was in the fifties and sixties and even in the seventies. There were a significant number of oficers from the landed classes, including some very well educated and polished ones. This has now changed, as most of the newer recruits to the officer cadre have been from lower middle and middle classes. The army also went through a radical transformation during Zia-ul-Haq`s time and went from being a liberal institution to a fundamentalistic institution.

It is very easy for people to blame fuedals for every ill in society, but we need to open our eyes and not get carried away by propaganda. The single biggest issue is lack of literacy, followed by corruption, army rule and mullahs.

#10 by ssdhillon. In a reliable democratic system the common man will stand in elections, others will vote for him.

In what democratic country can a common man in the street run for ofice? Even if he wanted to first of all the cost would be prohibitive and secondly hardly anyone would vote for him. Let alone the common man, take the case of Imran Khan who is not only wealthy but is popular as well; he had a hard enough time winning his own seat and that too in the second attempt.

#15 by pakfin on December 16, 2002 2:24pm PT
++++++++++++++
Even if he wanted to first of all the cost would be prohibitive and secondly hardly anyone would vote for him
+++++++++++++++

Money is always a factor. People who run for higher offices come up through the ranks. Most begin their politican careers by running for smaller positions. It is obviously not a perfect system. However it is the best.

If Imran Khan can not win it is because people see no benefit in electing him. It is not a fault of the system. You should not be looking at the present Pakistani system to judge if democracy itself is a good system. It will take a lot more than one(that too a very defective) election for the people to realise that they can use their power to bring a change for the better.