The Price of Love

what can we say further more about the ill-toilet located at mecca, saudi arabian kings, have extended their ill-laws beyond their country`s boundrys. That means continued war on an din the middle-east for the coming generations to have their world free of islam, the illness on planet earth. although by now laws have changed in this country, but one knows, you step on youngsters rights to make it up with their counter-gents. they get your lower back to the dead-level of grave.

the article is a fabulous and a must have for anyone who wants to know the practical limits to liberty in pakistan......esp for women......see......pakistan has anything but liberal democracy, the core of which is freedom of decision making and expression....

Update on this case is, unfortunately as Saman Khan predicted, the girl`s father did get his way. Unable to withstand the pressure (she`d been beaten up, locked up, and forced into a nikkah with her cousin), she eventually told `Kalam` to leave her alone, and he has given up the case. Unless the two of them are willling to fight it out, there`s nothing anyone on the outside can do, sadly. Re: mshergill`s question - lots of links to hudood ordinance articles, including on this site; I provided some links in a previous interact here.
beena

Nice article and very thought provoking. I keep reading about the Hudood ordinances, I wonder if someone can guide me to an article (And also honour killing) so that I can get more information on it.

In India of course, the laws are totally in favour of the woman. That however does not stop the thousands of dowry deaths that sadly take place. It does take place in middle class families too. One of my closest friends sister was a victim and the husband got away by showing that it was a cooking accident.

However there is a new trend amongst the brides in affluent societies in India to take advantage of the law and extract a huge alimony from the boys side if the marriage goes sour. One law is that if a woman makes a claim that she paid dowry and the marriage is less than 7 years old then the onus is on the husband to prove to the police that he did not take dowry.

Another interesting thing in India is some Matriarchal societies (Kerela and North East) where the woman wears the pants of the house literally. They own all the property (Men dont) and the child takes their name. The men have no power and if they get drunk, they are locked up in a room in the house as a punishment by the wife !!!!

Cheers

Jibbe: yes, I was able to visit the women`s prison in Khi - but they didn`t let me take a TV camera inside. It`s clean, airy, spacious - but still a prison as one woman said. The men`s prison is worse - I wasn`t able to go inside, but met a prisoner working at the superindent`s office computer; he said he`d been framed for drug trafficking & had no lawyer. Now that Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid`s Legal Aid Cell has started functioning in the Karachi central jail (inaugurated July 30, 2004), maybe things will improve. beena

Hi, Met you recently. Unfortunately lost your email id. Did you read the article posted on the civic centre about- the forgotten 54? My id is simmiwm@yahoo.co.in. Since I`ve lost yours, Pl send it to me again on my id. Simmi Waraich.

tell me miss sawar, on writing the article on woman in prisons, were you able to visit a woman`s prison by some authority? It seems to me that there is a need for an independent board of visitors to Pakistani prisons to monitor their conditions and see if there human rights being infringed upon. what do you think.

Intrestingly last night on Geo or ARY, there was a discussion related to a case where a father in balochistan was selling his daughters off, either for money or to pay off debts that he had accumalated due to excessive gambling.
Unfortunately the law was unable to intervene in the case, and in other cases cited during the discussion due to the fact that the woman herself had not lodged a complaint! This is the ludicrosy of a system that protects the men, anyone with half a brain would know that no woman can go against her father or husband in the fear of physical repercussions.
I hope articles like this and others to come and help create awareness - lets stop worrying about the West for a little bit and focus on the way we treat Muslims in these countries.

Gibran Bham

I have a sinking feeling Hameed will have his way.

Beena

It is the media and writers like you that are our hope to bring some sanity in the society. Thanks.

NHk

Jibbe: I think it would be ok to use the information given by Dr Zaffar Iqbal, Dr Nuzhat Ahmed and Dr Amna Buttar - they started ANAA - (Asian-american Network Against Abuse of Women In Pakistan - (see http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/22/nat26.htm) - a couple of years ago. They`re associated with Develop In Peace (DIP), a registered not-for-profit in the US and are also lobbying within their professional organisations for India-Pk peace and justice within the societies.
You are also welcome to use the information in my Hudood Laws (Extremely Misused) article & the women in prisons (Criminals or Victims) article, both on Chowk. Good luck.

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Thanks for the article and the comprehensive list!

miss sawar,
I am really interested in your cause and have recently written an article on it, but it is still in its draft form. I want to publish it here soon (on chowk) and /or email it out to the masses. Would it be okay if I use the address and contact details below to spread a little awareness for people who are willing to donate and be active in the cause?
thanks again.

Gibran Bham

When the rights of females are ignored and stomped on by the chauvinistic , iliterate/ literate males of our society, in the name of so called honour, class differences, family differences, i cringe with disgust and the blood pressure rises enough to make my blood boil.

Is there any way to help this poor girl?

Yes, this is an ongoing case. Thanks for your good wishes. I don`t have any illusions that my article will help this couple directly - that is being done through lawyers. The point was only to illustrate what is happening these days, to build some kind of pressure. Along those lines, please see email below by US based doctor Zafar Iqbal, and contact him directly if you want. best, beena

Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2004 17:41:32 -0500
From: ``Zaffar Iqbal`` Subject:
[ANAA-NEWS-L] (38/75) ADV. Resisiting ``HONOR
KILLING`` in Pakistan
To: ANAA-NEWS-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU

Dear All,
Please contribute whatever is dispensible. It is not ``how much`` you contribute but your
willingness to support the cause - ``to resist honor Killing``. We have set ourselves
a target of 75 people willing to donate ``their name`` for the advertisement in Pk newspapers. Following these comments is the request ``why`` the adv, cost of the adv
and then a details on ``Honor Killing`` Please circulate to all of your friends and
listservers you are a part of to get 75 people.
Regards-Zafar

---

From Amna Buttar:

Please send your donation payable to: ANAA/DIP
at the address of
Amna Buttar,
6315 Green Leaves Road, Indianapolis, IN 46220.
Reply for adding your name: abbuttar@aol.com
All Donations are tax deductible, as DIP is a 501
c(3).

Amna Buttar

---

Dear friends and colleagues,
After a long time, there is finally a glimmer of hope that a bill, which upholds the values of a humane society and denounces the so-called ``honor -killings``, will be debated in the Pakistan Parliament. There is tremendous opposition to the bill from the feudals and the MMA, who are cloaking their argument in the wraps of ``tribal customs``. The MMA has even gone so far as to say that the introduction of a bill denouncing ``karo-kari`` will encourage young girls to run away from home!!!! The whole bill is being renounced by the mullahs as being un-Islamic! Needless to say, honor-killings have nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with subjugation of the common man, especially women and minorities,
in Pakistan. All of us live in a free society in the US. We enjoy the many freedoms we have here. It is our moral duty to support any movement in Pakistan that will create circumstances for a just society there. We must wish the same for the Pakistanis as we do for ourselves here in the USA. Some of us have resolved to show our concern by
advertizing in a Pakistani Newspaper, supporting all efforts to denounce ``Karo-Kari``.Please join the effort Please reply to this email and put your comment if you support the advertisement.
Following have agreed to contribute for the advertisement:

1. Nadeem Kazi.
2. Amna Buttar.
3. Nuzhat Ahmed.
4. Zaffar Iqbal
5. Naseem Shehkhani.
6. Ghazala kazi
7. Rizwan Naeem
8. Shahid Sheikh
9. Faisal Cheema
10. Aisha Bajwa
11. Umair Iqbal
12. Asad Ansari
13. Shahid Latif
14. Ronda Morton
15. Shakeel Ahmed
16. Zahid Asghar
17. Jaseem Pasha
18. Mustahsan Ali Khan
19. Shahnaz Khan
20. Shaheen Mian
21. Jyoti Hansa
22. Salman Hameed
23. Huma and Syed Asif Alam
24. Bruce Grau
25. Khalil Khatri
26. Farid Qazi
27. Aisha Zafar
28. Munir Ahmad
29. Shakeel Kouser
30. Naveed Iqbal
31. Farooq Mirza
32. Jennifer Mendez
33. Shauna Singh Baldwin
34. Mohammad Raza Khan
35. Kimat Khatak
36. Iqbal Jangda
37. Tanvir Imam
38. Arshad Saeed
We will continue the count till we get to the total of about $6000 needed to get a prominent
space in leading Pakistani Newspaper. More than money, involvement of as many
individuals as possible is important. Every cent counts, as it carries a name of an individual
who cares. No donation is small, none too big. Please mention the amount you can spare for this adv so we can count all cents. Lets keep issues alive in politics and show our support to people working to empower weakest in loving homeland, Pakistan.

Please send your donation to ANAA/DIP at the
address of Amna Buttar,
6315 Green Leaves Road, Indianapolis, IN 46220.

Amna Buttar

Understanding Honour Killing: (Karo Kari) Amnesty Detailed report on Honour Killing:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/pakistan/reports/honour/


Understanding Qisas and Diyat:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/pakistan/reports/honour/honour-13.html


National commision on lacunae in Qisas and Diyat:
(12/03)
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2003-daily/04-12
-2003/metro/k2.htm

NCSW recommendations -National commision on Status of Women- declared honour Killing has no link with Islam. It asks that that the application and misuse of Qisas be stopped. (8/04) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_31-3-2004_pg7_24

Supporting Karo-Kari:

MMA, Jamat-e-Islami vice President Prof Gahfoor:
In his views Honour Killing is part of our religion. An Interesting seminar with MQM,
PPPP and many were participants: (8/04)
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-1-2004_pg7_27

Resisting Karo Kari:

Aitzaz Ahsan, PPPP present ``Criminal Law Bill 2004`` and explains how Qisas and Diyat pardons the person who has murdered in the name of ``honour`` (7/04)
http://www.dawn.com/2004/07/21/top3.htm

Nilofer Bakhtiar,Advisor to Prime Minister on women affairs strangely criticises a bill to repeal Hudood but plans to table a bill against Honour Killing: (8/04)
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-6-2004_pg7_4

Prime minister Shujaat - PML-Q codems Karo Kari (8/04)
http://paknews.com/main.php?id=1&date1=2004-07-18

Heer Ismail Soho, MPA MQM, demands that accused for Karo Kao murder should be tried as ``murdedrers`` and punished, if convicted, for 25 yrs.(10/03)
http://www.rghr.net/mainfile.php/0547/640/

Amnesty urges Pres. Musharraf to act to end Honor Killing:
http://web.amnestydex/ENGASA330171999

Musharraf on Karo Kari:

Musharraf condemns the practice of Karo-Kari.
http://quickstart.clari.net/voa/art/gx/748094A6-C2C8-42F9-93056F00B26A81D2.html

(ends)