Social event: For women, sit-ins offer break from rural conservatism

Many say they have never had the freedom of movement they feel in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD:

For some, the PAT sit-in is a wonderland. A group of ‘Inqilabi’ supporters are living a life they only dreamt of back in their village near Sargodha and feel like this sit-in has brought a ‘revolution’ in their life by providing them with an opportunity  to enjoy ‘real’ freedom.

The young girls, aged between 15 and 22 years, have come from a village where they cannot even dare to go to school because of the conservative environment.

Among them is Nida*, 22, from a village near Sargodha. She was forced to quit school when she was in seventh grade because her family had to put up with a lot of criticism from other villagers for sending her to school.

“I wanted to become a teacher, but the people in my village did not let me to go to school,” she told The Express Tribune.

She and her siblings have come to Islamabad for the very first time and are finding the city more comfortable then her home town.

“I always wanted to live a life of my own, to move freely, to talk with people my own age without any fear…and here at the sit-in, my wishes have been fulfilled,” she said.

Farwa*, 18, another young PAT worker from the same village, said, “ Though we do not have proper shelter, I find this place much better than my hometown as here is have a right to live my life according to my will.”

She completed her matriculation in Faisalabad, but, when she went home on vacations, her family told her she was not allowed to study any longer.

“In my village, we cannot even think of going out without a veil and headscarf, but here we can move around while just covering our head with a dupatta,” she said.

She said it is not easy to live in a conservative environment where girls are being confined to the four walls of their homes.

“My brother said he wants to go home for a few days to rest but I refused…I cannot even think of leaving here for one second,” she said.

Rashida*, 20 another young PAT worker said, “This sit-in has add colors to my dull life. Here, I get to spend time with girls of my own age.”

Moreover, she is happy with the food that is being provided at the sit-ins, explaining that she gets to eat till she is full, something she could never do at home.

“At home we usually find it difficult to have three meals a day due to poverty, but here, we get ample amounts every day. I have gain two to three kilos in less than a month,” she said.

She said that every morning they get bread, eggs, butter, milk, juice, parathas and biscuits, while at home she has to make do with last night’s leftovers.

She said life here is much easier than in her home town.

“I was not even allowed to even attend family events or visit my close relatives, but here I can visit all the camps,” she said.

*Names changed at interviewees’ request

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2014.