Women - A Curse In Pakistan

Why wasn’t the sitting government questioned for resignations? Why an emergency parliament session wasn’t called upon? Why wasn’t any protest or sit-in systematized? Why any political or religious personal didn’t allege it? It was a dark day in Lahore on May 27th, 2014; in the daylight at Lahore High Court, occurs a cruel incident that has brought shame not to the people in Pakistan only but to the entire world. It must have taken 15 to 20 minutes for this act to be played; and there must have been 20 to 30 people watching this. She was been SANSAAR – in the name of Honor, braced by Lahore Police within the High Court premises. This case wasn’t of much importance to Government, but after criticisms from all over the world Supreme Court & State got in motion. The case is now in Anti-Terrorist Court.

 

Life of a Pakistani Women in 21st century has not been better as it was in Stone Age; lack of non-implementation of Law has given birth to barbarism. The question arise that apart from electricity crises, terrorism, rigging; honor killing is ignorable in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Pakistan which came into being in the name of Islam, and under these women is used as a tool to release anger in every form. Political parties which has a major role in building structure of a society, why aren’t they unite against the weaknesses within culture & norms.

 

According to researchers almost 1000 women are killed between 1999 to 2004, unfortunately the count has increased to 4% till today. Human Rights Commission says 933 were killed in name of honor & other 1601 women were killed in other cruel reasons just in 6 early months of 2013.

 

The total count of registered cases in 2013
Punjab	2602
Sindh	1833
KPK	1181
Baluchistan	864
From Jan 2014 to date	869
TOTAL	7349

 

As Islamic Republic our stakeholders turn their eyes off on such cases, but when the world criticize us as in this particular case High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay strongly condemns the killing of Faraza and watching closely to this case. They also urged the Government to take preventive measure to stop such killings.

 

Still remember the case filed by Ms. Saima Sarwar married to resident of Peshawar, fled to Lahore & was living with her parents after leaving her husband for about 4 years. She was killed by some unidentified persons hired by her ex-husband family as they have threatened her to kill her if she tried to divorce her husband. This incident took place in the year 1999 at Office of her attorney Ms. Asma Jahangir. No arrest was made and no case was registered against such act.

(Reference: www.derechos.org/human-rights/actions/ VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Case PAK 120499.VAW)

 

Likewise in the year 2008 from a remote area of Baluchistan province five women were buried alive, allegedly by the younger brother of Mr. Sadiq Umrani, the provincial minister and a prominent leader of the ruling party at that time. However, police have still not arrested the perpetrators after one month of the incident. (Reference: The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC))

 

Same as Rukhsana (not her real name) once delayed to provide food for her husband’s dog, was maltreated & abducted that whole night by her husband. The next morning it was felt necessary to see doctor, but doctors refused to treat her as it was a police case. The doctors asked them to bring a letter from police station for the same, so she went to police station with her mother, and was able to brought letter against bribe. In this whole scenario her father & brother kept themselves aside & said it’s her husband & he has every right to treat whatever way he wants to. (True Story via Human Rights Commission Asia)

 

Hakim (not his real name) was happily married & was planning to have a child got trapped in vicious plan to the person to whom he owed 10,000/- (opponents of his Wadera). One day he was called by his Wadera & said that the person Hakim owes money is his enemy too, he planned to accuse Hakim’s wife having an affair with their mutual enemy. Wadera assures him that they will call for Jirga & Jirga would be headed by me, will ask for his enemies’ daughter in compensation. But all went wrong, that Wadera bonded up with his own enemy; bribed the police & Hakim was blamed for killing his own wife in the end. (True Story Via Human Rights Commission Asia)

 

Hypocrisy is worse curse than blasphemy. Increase in religious interests, pack Masajids aren’t creating responsible individuals. We don’t practice Islam in daily lives; we act totally opposite against Islam. This ‘honor killing’ is basically a product of Beghairti and Behissi. How come this honor is never been awaken when there is jumble in food, when police arrests innocent young boys from neighborhood, we owe millions & billions; that has to be paid don’t know for how many generations – no honor there. We don’t throw garbage in bins, like to spit on neighbor’s wall, over flooded gutters all across the streets – no honor establish there. But this HONOR is awake only on the act of a Woman, which is her religious as well as her social right. Choosing life partner and practicing the right of marrying man she want is not only allowed but is her religious right.

 

Shariqa Ahmed

Twitter: @shariqa_ahmed

 

 

My Father

When you lose a father you feel like dying every day. First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning and the last thing you think of when you try to go to bed and you think of it all day long.  It’s one the most horrible tragedies one could possibly imagine. But if you can somehow find that inner strength through a simple sign that it’s okay, one got something to look forward to at the end of your path.

 

It’s not often that you could go behind the scene and recall the moment when you lose someone very close to you, but it happens every moment.

 

I remember one time you held me and said “What I am going to do without you in my life?” I was holding on to you and at that moment I never realize that what I will do without you? And those words would MEAN so much to me today.  

 

I was in bed and I got a feeling that something wasn’t right, I get out of the bed, I got dressed and I stood at the window looking at the cars coming and passing by, my heart kept raising by every minute hoping that everything please be okay. I was interrupted by phone ringing and my Mom saying that “Your Father isn’t well, I need you at the hospital and please be quick.” And at that moment I knew; I realized that my feeling being frantic was true.

 

I rushed to the hospital, nothing in my head just to be there as soon as I can.  And there I was, as if he was waiting for me for years, his eyes sparkle the moment he saw me. I hold his hand and said “hold on daddy, I am here, everything will be okay”. It was all the machine sounds beeping in my head & all that voices annoying me. I placed my hand to his heart, could hear his heartbeats, but soon I could felt that his heart stopped. He just closed his eyes, they came and told me that I had to leave.  I didn’t want to, I was afraid. Leaving my hand empty. Have to understand that I won’t be able to see him again. It was the end.

 

Even after 18 years I try to forget; just forget about it – I guess I can’t. It’s tough. But I treasure my Father in my heart, my soul & my entire life.

 

 

Shariqa Ahmed

Twitter: @shariqa_ahmed

 

The Walking Dead

 

 It is said that winning & losing is part of life, but there should be no lost is acceptable in character & no winning on arrogance. Its universal truth that the society which loses its ethics, moral & social responsibilities become dead by itself. The citizens are demoralized; they don’t care whether its dictatorship or democracy, they want justice. We live in a society where glass for drinking water are chained, in Masjid people are more concerned for their shoes instead of Sajda, where mothers kill their children, where cannibals dug graves & eat corpses, graveyard caretaker is addicted of necrophilia, where politicians play dirty games over bodies of poor, where correspondents becomes spy; no messenger is going to come & change this nation until they want to change themselves within.

 Question is who was supposed to guide us? We live in a society where sins are justified and value is associated with madness, the concept of halal & haram is old episode so why would Allah Almighty bless such state? Building a personality or building character of a human is firstly depended on parents, secondly the responsibility of teachers / guiders, thirdly it is the state’s job.

 Just a slap from parents over a mistake can clear the concept of right & wrong, but unfortunately parents support the wrong doings & hence there is punishment. The fear of doing wrong deeds is encouraged and by the time it strengthens in character building.

 Teachers the most undesirable profession in our country; are not respected the way they should be. There’s a concept that if one cannot do anything – can teach! Teaching is not adopted as a profession but just a necessity; those who get C or D grades try to educate children where they don’t even know what they are supposed to impart. On the other hand qualified teachers are neither respected nor paid well. Sometime the inappropriate behavior of students also effects the determination of the educators.

 On whole it’s a huge responsibility of the government on charisma structure of an individual. Breaking traffic signals, destroying public property & destroying ethics of good humans is a daily practice. Inflation has already made the life of a poor miserable. Unfortunately, to meet the daily necessities, one adopts the wrong way, either he will beg for mercy & he will be a burden on the society or he will turn out to be a criminal. Unfortunately, law enforcers ask for bribe from such criminals and demand for their share. Stealing taxes for luxuries of Government personals has produced a huge discrimination between Government & People. People curse democracy, because their voice is neither listened nor served. Young people who are considered the future of any nation are dying everyday. If count of deaths is within 8-10; it is considered that law & order situation is better today.

 When it comes to religious training, Allah Almighty has not directed that there should be long beard & shalwar to be over ankles will escape the Armageddon. Alhmadolliah that we are born in Muslim families, but have we ever thought that either we believe in what we were guided to believe? In fact we do evil and then we seek justification over that. We have stopped differentiating between right & wrong. Our religion has taught us to be human first, but we didn’t even start to that journey. Truth is if see a man lying or hurt on a street, people just ignore and leave as humanity within us is dead or they might do not want to get themselves into trouble. The quote that “JIs ne Aik Insan ki jan bachai os ne goya pori INSANYAT ko bachaya” doesn’t exists anymore.

 

Shariqa Ahmed

@shariqa_ahmed

 

I Turn To You (Mothers Day Special) By Christina Aguilera

When I'm lost in the rain,
In your eyes I know I'll find the light
To light my way.
And when I'm scared,
And losing ground,
When my world is going crazy,
You can turn it all around.
And when I'm down you're there
- pushing me to the top.
You're always there,
giving me all you've got.
For a shield from the storm,
For a friend, for a love
to keep me safe and warm
I turn to you.
For the strength to be strong,
For the will to carry on
For everything you do,
for everything that's true
I turn to you.
When I lose the will to win,
I just reach for you and
I can reach the sky again.
I can do anything
'Cause your love is so amazing,
'Cause your love inspires me.
And when I need a friend,
You're always on my side
Giving me faith
taking me through the night
For a shield from the storm,
For a friend, for a love
to keep me safe and warm
I turn to you.
For the strength to be strong,
For the will to carry on
For everything you do,
for everything that's true
I turn to you.
For the arms to be my shelter
through all the rain,
For truth that will never change,
For someone to lean on,
For a heart I can rely on through anything,
For that one who I can run to...
For a shield from the storm,
For a friend, for a love
to keep me safe and warm
I turn to you
For the strength to be strong,
For the will to carry on
For everything you do,
for everything that's true
I turn to you.
For a shield from the storm,
For a friend, for a love
to keep me safe and warm
I turn to you.
For the strength to be strong,
For the will to carry on
For everything you do,
for everything that's true
I turn to you.
I turn to you... 


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ztsy_i-turn-to-you-christina-aguilera_music
 

The Second Gender

 

 

There was a time when women were solely responsible for household chores in the Pakistani society. That was treated as the only field for their activity. As advancing towards modernization, the mental status of our society for a woman is still traditional. Society doesn’t accept the existence or the independence of a woman even in educated families as well. Since birth or before she is born; a HIDDEN mental pressure is there on the family & if not it is coerced by the people in society.

An infant’s mother is in mental stress& pressure is built by people around. Sex selected abortion have become practice, mal/under nourishment by upholding nutritious food do lead to miscarriages. There are various unreported cases of losing pregnancy due to domestic abuse. Unfortunately women are blamed for gender births.

 

In childhood; girls are not encouraged for proper schooling as it’s thought that instead of spending money on her education they are trained as household helpers; as they ultimately have face the same fate as their mothers. Sexual abuse/molestation is the term from which young girls are not aware of; and at end they can’t differentiate, whether they are being molested or not. The most disturbing thing in our society is child prostitution, coming from uneducated families young girls are either been sold out by the parents or forced for sexual misuse.

 

Teenage is the most sensitive age in a girl’s life. As always there are number(s) of unreported cases of rape/forced sex by family members, teachers, coaches, molwis. There are no proper laws practiced in such crimes like forced marriages to older men for money, watta satta, vanni, sawara, teenage trafficking & sexual prostitution.

 

A woman can face numerous domestic& un-domestic problems. Violence by in-laws, economic abuse includes ruined credit, gambling; isolation, permanent or temporary abandonment, extreme exploitation, withholding adequate food, clothing, daily necessities, force into criminal activity, etc. As on other hand mental & physical harassment she faces if she works, character assassination, exploitation by coworkers, victim blaming, stalking & cyber stalking leads to mental stress. In many cases we also have experience forced suicides, murders by in laws & honor killings. Yet again with a moan no such cases are reported.

 

It is expected that being elder a woman maybe at ease, regrettably she faces mistreatment and abuse at home, cruelty in daily necessities. An unusual case reported that a man was accused of raping 48 dead bodies of women; like it is said “scared of life… they feel like embracing death, what if the troubles of life follow them in death too?”

 

Still searching when we will start behaving like human being, when will we start respecting each other?  



One Day by Matisyahu

Sometimes I lay
Under the moon
And thank God I'm breathing
Then I pray...
Don't take me soon
Cause I'm here for a reason

Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around

Because
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
They'll be no more wars
And our children will play

It's not about
Win or lose
Because we all lose
When they feed on the souls of the innocent
Blood drenched pavement
Keep on moving, though the waters stay raging
In this maze you can lose your way (your way)
It might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you no way (no way)

One day this all will change
Treat people the same
Stop with the violence
Down with the hate
One day we'll all be free
And proud to be
Under the same sun
Singing songs of freedom like


Lyrics of song One Day by Matisyahu

Shariqa Ahmed @shariqa_ahmed

Silence! Extra Judicial Killings Are In Process

Its shame on the ruling Government when talented youth is been disgraced and humiliated by the Law & there’s no-one to own them or upkeep. Karachi is gifted by the most educated & artistic youth, but when this generation is humiliated, the whole society is responsible of it. Time, the rulers and the people on whole are answerable if is a single dream is undecided.

MQM Malir Sector Committee Member Anis-Ur-Rehman was picked up by Rangers from home on new years’ eve. He was arrested charged with 8 crimes act including 302/34, 13D, 13E etc. Anis-Ur Rehman has served as joint incharge & he has been a very hard working peoples’ man. The neighborhood have witnessed that he have been a humble & helpful person. He is considered smart, someone who knows how to put things together and come up with a solution.

Belonging to a middle class family with ailing mother, wife & a daughter; were left alone behind. It was difficult but a mothers’ love is supreme than everything, with her illness she used to visit him daily in Karachi Central Jail. For us it’s easy to write in words but whatever this family was going through can only be knowledgeable by them and no one else.

The dilemma is that Anis Bhai mother passed away on April 3, 2014 waiting for her son to be back home (Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Elayhi Raji'un). He seek permission to attend memorial on parole, unfortunately He was not allowed to attend funeral of his own Mother. Does any human being can do this? Are we humans? Which law does not allow a son to attend his mothers’ funeral? It’s a shame on entire society, a tragedy, but who to be held accountable for this? The dead body was taken to Karachi Central Jail so the only son could have the ‘Akhri Deedar’ of his mother & wish forgiveness from her.

The questions may not describe the feelings but the answers are obvious, he must be imagining her being with him all the time, now he was left alone. The memories are alive and hallucinating him almost every minute. He must be longing to be hold by dearly departed mother and would have told her that how much he had loved her. He must have not stand the thought that she has gone and would love nothing more but to be with her, her memories must be haunting him every second. It must be hard for him to accept the fact that His Mother has gone FOREVER.

MQM Youth is here not for benefit of oneself but for the future of Pakistan. Someone who does not feel the same, is alone; the situation that they end up living life & they must ‘get back to the start’.

Shariqa Ahmed

Twitter @shariqa_ahmed