BY RAFIA ZAKARIA
It was a hot twenty-four hr menstruation inwards mid-July when Salman Sufi found out that he had been fired. Until then, Sufi had been a senior fellow member of the Punjab principal minister’s Special Monitoring Unit, where he had, with other things, developed too implemented the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act inwards 2016. The constabulary was controversial, non to the lowest degree because it allowed for speedy hearings on cases, made particular provisions for the evolution of women’s shelters, expedited procedures that allowed for the removal of abusive men from homes, too sought to implement GPS tracking of abusers. The country’s ruling party, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was committed to getting the reforms through inwards the province of Punjab, too Sufi was at that topographic point to assist it practise so. The days before the neb was finally passed inwards 2016 were hard ones for Sufi; religious hard-liners fired shots at his house. At the in conclusion minute, manlike somebody members of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the political political party of the one-time cricket star Imran Khan, walked off the assembly floor, refusing to vote for the legislation. The women of the political party stayed, inwards protest. Later, when the vote was called, the men never returned. In the words of i woman somebody lawmaker, the men “feel they are existence plotted against.” Still, the neb passed.
Sufi, who had drafted the master copy legislation, was relieved when it passed inwards Punjab. Somewhere inwards the process, he had approached Khan, the PTI’s chairman, hoping to convince him to innovate like legislation inwards Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the province where Khan’s political party controlled the government. According to Sufi, Khan seemed reluctant. Then, instead of moving the legislation forward, he referred it to the Council of Islamic Ideology, an advisory trunk of religious scholars. Muhammad Khan Sherani, the caput of the council, declared the constabulary against the “spirit of Islam” because husbands are permitted to “lightly beat” their wives.
Muhammad Khan Sherani, the caput of the council, declared the constabulary against the “spirit of Islam” because husbands are permitted to “lightly beat” their wives.
In the years after the bill’s passage, Sufi focused on its implementation inwards Punjab every bit an unpaid volunteer. He opened shelters too established the Women Protection Authority too fifty-fifty introduced gender violence every bit a topic inwards the high schoolhouse social studies curriculum. When he learned of his firing on July 15, 10 days before the full general election, he was shocked.
These were tumultuous days inwards Pakistan; a piddling over a calendar week earlier, on July 6, a courtroom inwards Islamabad had found Pakistan’s deposed prime number minister, Nawaz Sharif, too his immature adult woman Maryam Nawaz Sharif guilty of graft. The conclusion to burn Sufi was made simply a few days later. On July 13, both Sharifs were arrested too thrown inwards prison. Although Nawaz’s brother, Shahbaz—the premier inwards Punjab province—would nonetheless rival the elections, it was clear that the PML-N could non recover. Many alleged that Pakistan’s powerful military machine was behind the verdict, too the 371,000 soldiers who were deployed to render safety lend simply about acceptance to this argument.
When Pakistanis voted on July 25, Khan’s PTI came out ahead, paving the means for him to operate prime number minister. H5N1 twenty-four hr menstruation after the polls, Khan declared victory, promising to create a province inwards the picture of Medina, the get-go Islamic city-state, governed yesteryear the Prophet Mohammed inwards the 7th century. In the meantime, the election observation mission from the EU declared at that topographic point had been “systematic attempts to undermine the ruling party” too that at that topographic point was no “equality of opportunity.”
The victory of i political party over simply about other should non herald the destination of progress inwards the realm of women’s rights, non to the lowest degree because Pakistani women are thus far behind inwards damage of literacy too progress. More than 60 percent of the country’s poorest women acquire married before they are 18. Nearly 100 percent of the poorest are deprived of education, nigh of them inwards Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the province Khan’s political party has led since 2013.
The fact that Khan too his political party opposed domestic violence legislation inwards 2006, failed to dorsum the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act inwards 2016, too deferred to the Islamic council on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s constabulary the same twelvemonth doesn’t bode well.
The fact that Khan too his political party opposed domestic violence legislation inwards 2006, failed to dorsum the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act inwards 2016, too deferred to the Islamic council on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s constabulary the same twelvemonth doesn’t bode well. For the 2018 elections, his political party selected just half dozen women to run, barely coming together the 5 percent quota that the Election Commission of Islamic Republic of Pakistan required of all parties to compete inwards the election. Only two of them won, every bit opposed to 114 PTI men.
There is simply about hope. One of the 2 women elected was 33-year-old Zartaj Gul, a political newcomer, who unseated a longtime feudal candidate belonging to a powerful clan. Gul, who lost her blood brother inwards a terrorist attack, connected with a population that has been plagued yesteryear both terrorism too military machine operations. Campaigning tirelessly, Gul held 5 or half dozen events per twenty-four hr menstruation inwards the in conclusion days before the election. Her husband, Akhwand Humayun Raza, ran for a provincial topographic point from the same constituency, too the 2 regularly campaigned together. While her win is for sure a get for celebration, her relative political inexperience too lack of back upward inside the political party may hateful that she does non convey plenty clout to force women’s rights initiatives that many of the powerful men, non to the lowest degree Khan himself, oppose.
In Punjab, at that topographic point is a PTI adult woman who does convey political experience too the clout needed to genuinely construct a difference. Yasmin Rashid, a longtime activist too leader, lost her national assembly topographic point but did deal to win her Punjab provincial assembly topographic point inwards a closed race. There was fifty-fifty speculation that she could operate the PTI candidate for principal government minister of Punjab. After the election, an informal social media campaign pushed her candidacy, with many people declaring support. In the days since, a political party whose back upward the PTI requires for its ruling coalition has demanded the post of principal government minister every bit purpose of the deal—and that could hateful the destination of Rashid’s chances.
Finally, at that topographic point is Shireen Mazari, i of the nigh song too visible women inwards the PTI too i of Khan’s closest advisors. Mazari is a longtime supporter of the Pakistani military machine too a fixture inwards Khan’s immediate circle. She has fifty-fifty defended him against allegations of sexual harassment. Last year, Mazari addressed an all-women press conference inwards which she refuted then-National Assembly fellow member Ayesha Gulalai’s allegations that Khan had been sending inappropriate text messages too had propositioned her. Calling the charges a “disrespect to all PTI women,” Mazari branded Gulalai an “opportunist.” While the charges were never proved, Mazari’s loyalty for sure was. H5N1 repayment of that demo of loyalty could come upward Mazari’s means inwards the course of study of the Ministry of Information portfolio inwards the novel government.
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