As a nation, we are afflicted with a short-term memory. Incidents of gross injustice persist on a daily basis; we raise our voices, and as the rulers lend us their deaf ears, we eventually forget everything.
But the recent harrowing motorway incident is not one that should to be dismissed so easily. The plight of a mother, who was violated in front of her kids, is so horrifying that it should have jolted the very foundations of our society. It is hence imperative to convey to the concerned officials that this incident will be stuck like a sore thorn in the hearts of the female population of Pakistan, until and unless every culprit is not given an exemplary punishment. A simple act of women leaving their homes to travel has become dangerous. The harsh reality that everyone needs to realise is that Pakistani women feel unsafe, even within the confines of their own homes. Don’t we all have mothers, wives and daughters?
The women of this country will never forget this. We will not forget that politicians and officials have continuously failed us by letting the rapists and perpetrators scot free. It is time for women to stand up and unite as a single voice and do away with the patriarchal system.
Nida Zafar
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2020.
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