Women as equal partners

It would not be an exaggeration to state that the leadership of Pakistan is oblivious to the importance of the role of women in a society. There are several indicators that point towards coming to this conclusion. Most critical among them is an indifferent attitude towards girls’ education; scarce health facilities for women; and lack of equal opportunities in the job market for them. Also, there a very few women in the parliament who have won the elections on their own on party tickets. These failings have serious short- and long-term consequences that we are already witnessing. Lack of facilities and ignorance of health matters have resulted in increase of infant mortality and stunting of children placing them at an unfair disadvantage throughout their lives. The situation in rural areas, particularly of Sind, KP and Balochistan, is fairly worrisome. This indifference by the leaders and the society continues to play out and unlikely to be a subject of serious attention or given due weightage during election campaigning. But it must, otherwise the people and coming generations will pay a heavy price in several ways.

With the state focused on security challenges and presently on the dire economic situation, the plight of women and improving their lot has taken even a secondary position, in sheer denial of the fact that women can make a significant contribution — as many countries have demonstrated — if there are fair prospects and openings for them. The limited political role of women legislatures did not open space in shifting national discourse to enhancing the voice of women and addressing their problems. These inadequacies demand several corrective steps at different levels. First, their involvement in politics that the political parties have a fair representation of women in the mid and top level as is the case with mature democracies. This will make their presence felt. More significantly, it will contribute to protecting their interests and moderate the tone of discussions on critical issues.

A fact that cannot be overlooked and only reaffirms how significant it is that women be afforded equal opportunities is that despite prejudices our women continue to outshine in several fields at the regional and global level. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight gender inequality against women, promoting women in the forefront. She is a recipient of several international and national awards, including Oscar. Recently she brought 19 female filmmakers together which shows her standing and influence among artists.

Read Moot calls for greater female representation in politics

The well-known Malala Yousafzai — female education activist, champion of women’s and girls’ causes and one of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17 — is another young woman who brought laurels to Pakistan. She was shot for speaking about the injustices inflicted on women, while the society remains indifferent and a silent spectator. In 2013, Time magazine named Malala among “the 100 most influential people in the world”. This was no ordinary achievement. On her 16^th birthday, she spoke in the United Nations, setting a world record of being the youngest person to address the world body. And in September 2021, she addressed the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan and called for the protection of Afghan girls. Currently, she is engaged in philanthropic activities and has created the Malala Fund for the education of girls.

In the field of mountaineering, Samina Baig made history as far back as 2013 by becoming the first Pakistani woman and the third Pakistani to climb Mount Everest. She is also the youngest Muslim woman to climb Everest, and that too at the age of 21, demonstrating as she rightly claimed was a demonstration of gender equality.

Amongst artists and writers, women have made a mark. Hasina Moin’s plays in 1980s and 90s have contributed significantly to projecting women as professionals, who live their lives to the fullest, with various shades in their character. In sharp contrast, today’s dramas focus on showing women confined inside their homes, in a miserable state, and are non-professional. This is a sad reflection on the writers and actresses that are promoting women in this mode to cater to base instincts.

The late Bano Qudsia is a renowned Pakistani novelist and playwright and considered the epitome of classic Urdu literature. The other women Umera Ahmad is a short story writer, novelist and playwright, and the late Fatima Surayya Baji a well-known novelist and playwright. Uzma Aslam Khan and her contemporary Kamila Shamsie are the most prominent names of English fiction and novels in Pakistan. Maleeha Lodhi, a former diplomat, who has been earlier Ambassador to the United States and Representative to the United Nations, besides being an author, is a leading columnist who is widely read. Sherry Rehman is a prominent politician, advocate of women causes and a leading figure in climate advocacy earning a spot-on Time’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

In Information Technology, there are Jehanara, President of Pasha and cofounder Katalyst lab; Naureen Hyatt, Ceo of Zood Pay; and Ammara Masood of Systems Ltd, winner of two IT global awards, from the UK and the US. Then we have outstanding economists and bankers, Shamshad Akthar, caretaker finance minister and former governor SBP; Hina Rabbani Khar, Senator and former foreign minister; Shazia Sikander, world renowned and most influential visual artist; Lt Gen Nigar Johar, first ever three star general, serving in the army medical corps; and Ayesha Malik, first female Supreme Court judge.

We fail to appreciate the contribution our women make in the rural areas. They are dynamic workers not only in farms and fields but have been making significant contribution to the enhancement of agricultural productivity by engaging in seed bed preparation, weeding, harvesting, threshing, food storage, cottage industry and multiple related tasks. With the national and provincial elections due in the near future, it is important that political parties give fair representation to women to stand as their party candidates. They should try to encourage maximum number of women to vote so that their voice and expectations are given greater weightage and women’s interests are addressed.

Lastly, it is important to remind ourselves that the Global Gender Gap Index in 2016 ranked Pakistan as the second lowest country in the world for gender equality and the situation hasn’t changed since, and is most likely to get worse. The coming elections provide an opportunity to address women’s interests and correct course.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2023.

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