Still proudly ghairatmand

Letter May 14, 2012
I think the writer failed to realise that what Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy was referring to.

WOKING, UK: This is with reference to Maria Waqar’s article of May 14 titled “I’m still proudly ghairatmand”. I think the writer failed to realise that what Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy was referring to (in his article of May 7) was the extreme and excessive belief in and reinforcement of tribal notions of honour and ghairat which are often the cause of injustice. For instance, why is honour killing committed? To salvage so-called ‘honour’. Why are women in Pakistan stripped and paraded on orders of panchayats? Isn’t this simply punishment for such women, for being ‘dishonourable’? Why do we become blindly patriotic and ignore and deny our problems as a nation? And we do it all in the name of so-called honour and ghairat.

Leila Rage


Published in The Express Tribune, May 15th, 2012.