The missing women

The list of misses seems tragically longer than the luminaries women that made the cut on the streets of Lahore.

Voices were raised in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday regarding women’s empowerment and emancipation on International Women’s Day. On The Mall and Gulberg’s Main Boulevard larger than life portraits of eminent women were hanging to mark the auspicious day.

PPP’s Sajida Mir urged the treasury to legislate to put a stop to acid attacks on women and sought women ministers in the cabinet which at the moment is an all-male affair. Female opposition leaders called for a consensus charter for women’s rights.

Mir had wondered why portraits of Benazir Bhutto and Rana Liaquat Ali were missing from those hung on the streets.

While portraits of Madam Noor Jehan, Abida Perveen, Bano Qudsia, Ismat Chughtai and surprisingly Ayesha Jalal lined city streets, Asma Jehangir, Razia Bhatti, Dr Ayesha Siddiqa Agha and Shirmeen-Obaid Chinoy were missing.

Other than Ayesha Jalal, the women whose faces were part of the celebration were not rebels who went against the grain. Rather, their celebrity status was a blessing for the state and the nation.

Benazir Bhutto, the first woman prime minister of a Muslim nation, might not have made the cut as she did not appease the establishment. The establishment never issued her a ‘certificate of patriotism’ which is so essential to be a dignitary and celebrity in our country. Even her efforts to make Pakistan a nuclear military power and her tough position on Kashmir, could not win her the trust of the establishment.

Asma Jehangir, a human rights activist and a liberal intellectual, might not have made the cut much for the same reasons as Bhutto. Her impeccable record as a UN representative on human rights, her tireless efforts for the rights of the dispossessed and her endless struggle for the rights of women and liberal values in the society obviously were just not enough.

Razia Bhatti, former editor of the monthly Newsline, was a glaring miss. She was a symbol of courage and integrity as her incisive reports exposed the corruption of our leaders. Bhatti died of a brain hemorrhage some years ago but she had already established herself as one of the most potent investigative journalists in the country.

Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, researcher, academic and writer, made waves with her book, Military Inc. Her ability to speak the truth in the face of adversity and her uncanny research skills won her laurels from the international community. However, on home turf she remains a pariah as the establishment does not care for her analysis.

The list of misses seems tragically longer than the luminaries that made the cut.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2012.