From Photo Sessions to Reality

Naeem,

I liked this write-up. It’s a well-put together analysis. Some of your points are in line with my way of thinking.

In my opinion, Mukhtaran Mai should have met with the Law and Order Chief to share her concerns. Why is she even bothering to meet with the Prime Minister? Shouldn`t the nincompoop heading the Law and Order Department be reprimanded for ineffective policies and procedures? By meeting with the Prime Minister and ignoring the person who needs to be responsible for putting this case to rest, Mukhtaran Mai is proving a very crucial point - the legal entities are inefficient. In that case, she has to reach out to the President and Prime Minister. What consolation can the PM provide to her? Is he going to put the perpetrators in jail? Is he going to pass any legislation for the protection of women? What has the President done for her? Musharraf had no issues in meddling with the Pakistani Constitution - that was acceptable since he showed immense concern for the Pakistani People and had a vision for the future of Pakistan. Based on his recent actions, I am even doubtful of his fauji-ness. He is a coward! In order to show his true fauji mettle, he needs to meddle with the Hudood Ordinance. Is that doable? Can that happen? Would he even go there? Has the PM or President set any example for the future rape victims? This is just one case. How about 100s and 1000s of other cases? Can all the victims come to the PM`s office and have the guts like Mukhtaran Mai? So, anyone with the guts like her may be able to survive and fight, but those who lack basic guts will have nowhere to go. What is this? Double standards? Fair or Foul?

I do not want to disregard an important element here. It deals with the masses and their approach toward Mukhtaran Mai. From the very little I have read about Mukhtaran Mai, she has been very well accepted by all and sundry and has received a lot of encouragement for her bravery. This is a commendable mindset. All the more reason, it reflects that there are people in Pakistan who do not look down upon rape victims and believe that the victim was the innocent in the picture. In this case, Mukhtaran Mai was not put in jail under the Hudood Ordinance – HO (An ordinance to protect violent and horny men); therefore she was able to cope with the battle. There may be several others who entertained the same spirit and passion for living a just life but were thrown behind the bars under the HO ~ OSHVM (Ordinance for serving horny and violent men). The unfairness can be quite demoralizing.

I liked your drift on a few suggestions you have made to address the issues and provide empathy toward the victim. I think the way Pakistan secured Shaukat Aziz from City Bank to stabilize its economical concerns; similarly, a serious effort needs to be made to find the right candidate to ``handle`` the social matters of the Pakistani Society. That department should be named as “Social Issues Resolution Department”.

The best candidate will be a seasoned and visionary Pakistani in the UN. Often times, those who live in that system are not able to evaluate the gravity of several in-progress and outstanding social issues. As a result there is no resolution. The locals start taking things for granted or give up. In that scenario, you do need someone who brings a broader perspective with experience and commitment in resolving the hanging social issues in the 3rd world countries. Every issue has to have a resolution. If you allow social issues to linger then they never get to see the light of resolution. It can be very frustrating for the people involved in the picture and those who read the news. What`s the outcome of Mukhtaran Mai`s issue? The masses need to read about the outcome and not necessarily the step-by-step details of what she went through and whom she met.

On the contrary, bringing someone from outside has some constraints as well. What if the person is not well accepted by the masses? It can also create some insecurity among the locals for not being considered for a role to handle their internal matters. I do not think these concerns matter that much......

Personally, I will lean toward the 1st recommendation. Once a structure is in place with right leadership then you can definitely add several steps under the umbrella of a committed ``Social Issues Resolution Department``. You have addressed quite a few of those steps in your article. The locals will be the ones to assist in putting a well organized infrastructure in place.

I think one such department (with a different purpose) was established in Lahore to hear the concerns of the masses during Nawaz Sharif’s times. It was an open court like scenario – something similar to a punchaiyat. Going back to my early teens, I only recollect that it was not a well-organized way of dealing with people and went out of control. All the more reason you need to have an organized and disciplined approach in handling these matters.

cayenne dear it seems the indians here need to read things carefully -- it was the intolerable bear here who suggested that i meet up with mukhtaran mai --

paindu pastry -- with a nick like that you should be the last person to tell anyone else to grow up

Pak`s are again raking up Godhra(fair enough), zaheera et alia, but i wonder?.In India the courts are still working things outon the unfortunate incident despite obstacles and hindrances thrown in its` way, so let us wait till the justices have spoken and rendered their verdict.Indian politicians are careful not to anger the judiciary.They do push the envelope though.Once the courts have spoken we will see how the high and mighty will fall.The recent Jharkand state election and the process of state govt. formation was a case in point.The courts were swift to act as it was a time bound decision,as per the articles of the constitution.But before parliament could debate the court verdict, the president swiftly put an end to it by laying down the law.All BJP state legislators were paraded in front of Kalam at the presidential palace and proved majority.The congress installed CM was asked to resign and immediately complied.Similarly, Narendra Modi will face justice, which i cannot say.It is for the courts to decide.Till then let us pray that innocent victims of unfortunate incidents, men , women or children will get justice, whichever country they belong to.

Watched the news tonight......Mush is coming to Ajmer dargah first, New Delhi in the evening for dinner with Manmohan at Hyderabad House, followed by a sunday morning meeting with Kalam at Rashtrapathi Bhavan, meetings with the Hurriyat people, the MEA folks....I ask, when is he going to go see the cricket match at Feroz Shah Kotla field??...And, the DDCA folks have been going dizzy trying to get the refurbishing done in two weeks!!!.Isn`t cricket the reason for him coming to dilli?.Why doesn`t Mush just say he loves his hometown and given a chance he will move there in a jiffy?.Make it easy for all of us.We will welcome him home anytime.

veeresh n omar

will u2 grow up and act like adults
stop squabbling please!

veeresh: ``Vaise, can you revert to the subject under discussion please? ``

err sure -- as i was saying your exalted moronic-ness is up to no good huh -- so do give our regards to zaheera unkill jee --

er light brown perhaps -- thatw ould explain the fact that it originates in india and tends to bring with it, well, ugly brown/black bears

OFF TOPIC, sorry!!


There will be a `premier` screening of WAPSI at India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, on the afternoon of April 16th, 2005 The screening will start at 4:00 pm to be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker. All are invited.


+++

WAPSI (the returning...)
A film by Ajay Raina.
Produced By: Public Service Broadcasting Trust.
Duration: 60 Minutes.

SYNOPSIS
In the times of a yet another thaw in the relationship between India & Pakistan, an Indian `Lover Of Cricket` finally manages to go across to the other side of the `Line of Control` (LOC) ...to journey through the heartland of Pakistan.

Much in the style of Al Biruni, a Persian scholar, who visited this part of India more than a 1000 years ago to encounter an alien culture which he had called `Al Hind`, this is an account of the filmmaker`s travels through that part of `Al Hind`, which is now a foreign country and a most bitter foe.

The journey to Pakistan is a journey of return of various kinds - to Nostalgia, hate, metaphor and reality. A song of hope, love, longing and betrayal. A lament about how the `idea` of Pakistan has tormented only the `minorities` in the Two Nations, which once were one. Starting from India`s capital Delhi, it takes a detour via Kashmir, Gujarat and Indian Punjab. It travels back and forth between memory and history to explore the `idea` of Pakistan, the story of it`s making, what it has become and how it affects Indians and Pakistanis, who in spite of the divide, remain connected to each other through Hate and through Love.

Quoting from Al Biruni`s preface to his book about India, this film is ``nothing but a simple historic record of facts... the theories of the Pakistanis as they are, ...and in connection with them similar theories of Indians in order to show the relationship existing between them...``

BIO NOTE OF THE FILMMAKER:
Ajay Raina, Alumni of Film Institute, Pune, a Kashmiri, has been making Documentary films for last 12 years. His last film about journey back home to Kashmir, ``Tell them, the tree they had planted has now grown.`` won The Golden Conch Award, The RAPA award and the IDPA silver trophy in 2002. It has had numerous public screenings and has been screened at various festivals in India and abroad.

Ajay Raina,Bombay, India
E- Mail: ajayraina@vsnl.com / ajayraina@vsnl.net Tel: 91 22 28414339

Re: # 10, the Hudiara Drain, hmmm, yes, this is the one on the light brown bottled mineral water project for the natives? OK, we shall buy that, too.

Vaise, can you revert to the subject under discussion please?

Thank you, over and out.

welcome back ?? i never went anywhere -- i dont follow any unkill jee, unless of course it happens to be a big ugly bear from india in which case we get together and try and hunt it down, or at the very least drown it in the hudiara drain -- btw did u perchance have the time to take a swim in the hudiara drain - u must unkill jee the next time you come -- the vintage rally it was right?

Re: # 7, welcome back Omar!! How were the sweeties, did you like them are they over now? Poor Zaheera is currently doing a flip-flop. But I am glad to note that you are now playing Follow the Leader.

Re: # 1

The NGOs probably do have such facilities, but I wouldn`t be surprised if their efforts are not recognized by the corrupt judiciary. My suspicion stems from the fact that there are only 3 such crisis centers in Karachi; why can`t major public and private hospitals aid in such efforts too?

It`s the bureaucratic defunct system left to us by the British colonialists, and our elite insist on hanging on to it.

I don`t know who to thank for changing the rules in accidents and shootings cases, because the hospitals wouldn`t even touch the victim until and unless police filed a report and allowed the medical staff to do anything. By then most of the victims had passed on due to lack of required emergency medical attention.

Anyway, on this issue and all others, general population needs to do it in tandem with the government and NGOs, as Naeem, Sajal, and others like them are taking on the issues so boldly.

veeresh -- your moronic-ness (is that a word) knows no bounds -- we will meet mukhtaran after you have met and become zaheera`s best buddy unkill jee

``Loaded with pictures and promises, Mukhtaran walked out of the PM house, back into the rape-supportive society of potent ‘jirgas’ and impotent courts. ``

A good article, at least there is some attempt to take responsibility. You should have mentioned romair for whom honour killing and rape as punishment are some tribal systems, but refuses to accept that it is sanctioned by pak laws supported by the elected and non-elected gocts of pakistan for the last 25 years.

You talk of why there are no doctors or institutions to support rape prosecutions, well there is no support for such actions in pak society. a society that can legislate that rape prosecution needs 4 male witnesses only pretends to be against rape.

What you all need is the acceptance of reality, pakistan is moving in a direction, which only an iraquisation can alter. Accelerate the process, support a bereded general to take over the country, then it will be iraquised. Accelerate the decline so that the nadir is reached quickly, and then and then only there will be any positive change.

i should add that the government of pakistan is aware of this and is trying its best. they`re not just sitting around. as they say, `rome was not built in a day.` this might take years to change. the local governments, national reconstruction bureau (NRB) and the law and justice ministry are working together to formulate a draft and a law to bring into effect fundamental changes in the legal system. mukhtar mai is not, as someone foolishly remarked, a victim of her faith or her sex. if that were true, there would be no rapes in india. and we all know what happened in gujrat (by the way, narendra modi is out and about strutting his dhoti, scot free after having murdered 1000 innocent civilians. so much for justice in india) she`s a victim of pakistans unfortunate feudal society, where man is on top no matter what. had there been a more islamic system or setup in place, the animal(s) who commited this would be in jail facing life sentences. it will take time for this system to unravel.

This needs more and more educated Pakistani women to come out on the streets. I don`t think this has anything to do with Islamic or Muslim heritage. The history of pre-Partition India is full of examples of Muslim women standing up and living their truths as well standing up for whatever is correct.

The ground reality is that women in Pakistan are simply treated as badly as any other minority. And that there is not even the semblance of a framework to try and redress the situation.

And more than that, Pakistanis need to get out of denial.

How many chowkies have taken the effort to go and try to meet Mukhtaran Mai on their trips to Pakistan?

I just fail to under what was ex-banker of Manhattan trying to show the whole country by spending his valuable time in photo sessions with Mukhtaran Mai.

What investment banker??.See, this is what happens when you hire a corporate kisser to run a country.Running a country and a company are two different things.What has this banker dude accomplished??.Pakistan`s forex reserves declining, never a big deal to begin with, a mere 10 bil. or so, the economy is growing at 6-7%, but what is the net worth, the market capitalization??....ANSWER....nothing mounting to anything, and textile exports are going downhill under the new WTO regime.This dude cannot even clinch the Iran pipeline deal with the indians who are cash rich and energy hungry.Kenya snubs your country by quadrupling import duty on pakistani rice which was for years a steady market for you guys.This banker dude comes to india, pompously mouths off to indian industry that pak and india are equal and pisses them off.What do the billionaire indian banias do?.They, who wanted to invest in pakistan, are just putting more money opening plants in Uruguay, Poland, Hungary, Dubai , South Africaand the ASEAN nations.Why this pompous posturing?.

That`s why i like Musharaf.He knows when to and how to make a deal.He invites himself over, shows no pomposity and endears himself to his hosts, who will lay on the extra thick red carpet for him.Which brings me to this Mukhtaran Mai.Why waste her time meeting this guy.She will continue to be a victim , of her sex, her nation , her faith and her society.

naeem:

another good article:)

Why can not the government set up at least half a dozen prominently located rape crisis centres in every city.

forget government involvement...

why can`t citizens and NGOs do it together? WAR, saahil, aurat foundation, edhi etc?