I am shocked that Sharmila Farooqui called the victim of rape ‘hyper’ and even exposed her identity.
LAHORE: This is with respect to the article published on December 23, “Rape and rhetoric” by Nadir Hassan.
I am shocked that Sharmila Farooqui called the victim of rape ‘hyper’ and even exposed her identity. What does she expect from a woman who has been traumatised by rape and violence — to be cool and collected? This reminds me of Pervez Musharraf who, when questioned in New York about Mukhtaran Mai, got irritated and said that women get raped so they can get visas to live abroad. We all remember that it was Dr Shazia Khalid who was harassed and forced to leave Pakistan, while her rapist was provided security. In fact, Musharraf himself defended his innocence. It is this feudal sick attitude where it is considered the right of spoilt brats from affluent backgrounds to rape and molest women from poor families and from the working class. Sexual molestation and harassment has gained momentum because of these attitudes. What business does the police have to start looking for loopholes in the rape victim’s background, instead of arresting and prosecuting the rapists?
Malik T
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2010.
