Do we really respect women in this country?
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A murder most foul has shaken Islamabad, and indeed Pakistan. Noor Mukadam, the 27-year-old daughter of an ex-ambassador was brutally murdered by her friend, Zahir Jaffer, the scion of a powerful business family. This comes amid a wave of violent crimes against women making headlines in the country.
Perhaps none of this is new. As my friend Sulema pointed out, her mother, the late Asma Jahangir, and her law firm had been dealing with cases of women's noses and ears being cut off and the police not even registering an FIR. Noor's case gained prominence because she and her killer were well-known. Whether justice will be served however, remains to be seen.
In the age of social media, Twitter accounts of government functionaries are keenly followed and Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had promptly offered his condolences on the passing of Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the founder of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban, largely remained mum on Noor's case.
The President on the other hand tweeted: "Such isolated ugly incidents are used to give a bad name to the country. I condemn it and I assure all citizens that we in Riasat-e-Medina cannot and will not allow this to happen."
One wonders whether President Alvi is aware that these ‘isolated incidents’ are happening every single day. No amount of denial or delusion will change that or give the country a better name.
In the Prime Minister's recent interview with Judy Woodroof of PBS Newshour, he had to once again address the issue. Pandering to a western audience, Judy simplistically asked, "Do you think that the importance of Islam in your country complicates your ability to take a stronger stand on violence against women?"
A much better question would have been, "Why has your government decided to send the Domestic Violence Bill to the Council of Islamic Ideology instead of putting it up for a vote in Parliament?" Or, "How come your government is keen to send bills related to women's rights to the Council of Islamic Ideology but not other bills? For instance, why don't finance related bills go to the CII for their comment on their interest-bearing provisions?"
So while we in Pakistan may like to pretend we respect women and give them dignity, the laws don't really attest to it.
Ayesha Ijaz Khan
But Judy's jaded spin of Islam holding back a western-educated man from emancipating women gave the Prime Minister the chance to impress his base by telling the western journalist how much better our society is than theirs.
"I find that in Muslim countries--in Pakistan and even other Muslim countries I've seen--women have far more respect and are treated with dignity," the Prime Minister retorted.
That's a great, feel-good statement but let's examine if there is any truth in it.
As Prime Minister Imran Khan has primarily spent time in the UK and Pakistan, let's just do a comparison of the two, particularly since I too have spent time in both countries. As a woman, I feel respected if I have the same rights as men and when I have freedom of movement and can go about my business without feeling constrained by my gender.
When I worked as a corporate lawyer in Pakistan, I realised that women, even if they are Vice Presidents at banks, cannot witness financial documents as the law does not recognise their testimony as equal to a man's. I must add here that not every Muslim country has this law but this is how things are in Pakistan since the 1984 Qanoon-e-Shahadat law was passed. In the UK, the testimony of a woman is equal to a man's in all matters.
In Pakistan, if a man dies intestate, his male heirs will legally inherit far more than the females. In UK, if a man dies intestate, male heirs are not entitled to a greater share of the inheritance.
In the UK, in the case of a divorce, there is generally an equitable distribution of assets, with women often retaining primary residence. In Pakistan, in the case of a divorce, the man and his family are considered generous if they let the woman keep the jewellery they gifted her at the time of marriage.
Get the picture? So while we in Pakistan may like to pretend we respect women and give them dignity, the laws don't really attest to it. And while the spirit of Islam is to be respectful towards women with a pronounced emphasis on justice, religion is often used to deny women their rights.
If Pakistan wants to really respect women, we must come out of denial mode and actively adopt laws based on emancipation.
– The writer is a lawyer and tweets @ayeshaijazkhan
