Girl power: Female lawyers all set to take on the boys

Some say the beginning is a struggle, but many have earned respect through hard work, diligence, determination

PESHAWAR: The legal stratosphere once belonged to men alone in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but women are making inroads with each passing day. Traditional and cultural norms of the province once kept women at bay and away from the court.

However, things have indeed changed—that too for the better. Not only are they donning the black coats of lawyers, but also the long cloaks of judges.

Justice (retd) Khalida Rashid had the privilege of becoming the first woman judge from K-P, whereas the first female advocate, Perveen Senior, was also from this part of the country.

Khalida Rashid, who served at the Peshawar High Court as a judge in the mid-1990s, is associated with the International Court of Justice these days and leading a special tribunal for Rwanda.

The number of women practicing law in K-P is also increasing by the day. So far, 1,530 women are enrolled with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council and half of them are serving in lower courts, while almost as many are arguing cases at the high court and its affiliated benches in Swat, Abbottabad, DI Khan and Bannu.

Carving a niche

Maria, a law graduate, tells The Express Tribune she always dreamt of being part of the legal fraternity. While her dreams of being a lawyer may have been shattered some 14 years ago, forcing her to join an NGO, she now believes women have created a space for themselves as lawyers and judges. In fact, she wants her eight-year-old daughter to pursue the legal profession.

“I am doing everything to encourage my daughter to chase her dream of becoming a practicing lawyer which I couldn’t do 14 years ago,” Maria says.

Nihal Tabassum, an emerging lawyer who won her first pro-bono case some days ago, could not hide her jubilation.

“Before accepting the case and rising to the challenge, I was advised by friends and colleagues not to take up the matter,” she says.

However, she did not give up and accepted the challenge.

“I can never forget those moments when all the hard work and sleepless nights paid off and the judge gave the verdict in my favour,” she says. “Those moments were my answer to all those who mocked me.”

A female litigator does not only have to fight a case, but several other fronts as well. Society, male dominance and gender bias are some of them. These are accompanied by sarcastic remarks and even threats in some instances.

In a man’s world

On occasion, when a female litigator even tries to establish a point during her arguments in court, she is labelled as cantankerous.

“I have got this feeling many times that my male colleagues don’t take me seriously and I can feel the sarcasm in their remarks,” says a woman lawyer.

She adds senior lawyers do not trust young girls with cases and thus their learning experience is based on trial and error.

The lawyer, requesting anonymity, adds this leads to them getting disheartened at the very start of their careers.

Farhana Marwat, a very well-known lawyer, with 18 years of experience in criminal and narcotics cases, says, “Good and bad people are found in every field. Yet the situation in the legal profession is not as disappointing as it seems.” She added women litigators do face social stigma, but the situation is far better in the higher courts.

“My experience dictates that judges give verdicts based on arguments rather than the person making them,” Marwat adds.

‘It is only the beginning, which is hard,” Amina Rafeeq says.

She adds everyone has to struggle, but the reality is that a woman has to fight more and face greater hardships.

At the same time, she stresses that if a woman lawyer stays strong and determined, there is every chance she will succeed. The lawyer says she earned her respect after 10 years of patience, determination and hard work.

Zarak Shah, a high court lawyer, while talking to The Express Tribune, admits women have to face problems. However, he believes there is an issue with society at large.

“So far, my experience shows that many male lawyers and even judges are appreciating women and giving them respect,” Shah adds.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2016.