HOW DISGRACEFUL, SHAMEFUL - SORRY MALALA

When breaking news emerged of gunmen shooting 14 year old child education rights activist Malala Yousafzai and her two school mates in the Swat Valley, millions of people throughout Pakistan and abroad were shocked, condemning the barbaric and cowardly attack on an innocent helpless girl. What was even more shocking was that a spokesman for the extremist militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ihsanullah Ihsan whilst claiming responsibility for the brutal and cowardly attack is reported to have said that Malala will not be spared if she survived. There has been widespread condemnation from human rights and civil society activists and politicians, including those in the government and the opposition. Strangely, though not surprisingly, none of the religious parties seem to be unduly concerned about what has happened. The traditional religious parties or groups, by their silence or qualified, miserly disapproval, have left the general public in no doubt that they quietly approve of this criminal mind set (disguised in religious ideology). Even the international community took notice and most international news agencies covered the incident. The army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was compelled to (embarrassingly) acknowledge the Taliban had “failed to grasp that she is not only an individual but an icon of courage”. Schools in Mingora remain closed out of fear and necessity as well as in sympathy and support of innocent Malala. Efforts are now under way to save her life and millions of decent people are praying for her recovery and safety. Her father, a school teacher, has been the rock of support behind Malala since the time she was just 11 years old and the Swat Valley was under Taliban militants until they were finally evacuated by the Pakistan Army in 2009. The Taliban rule had caused havoc and brought terror, destruction and fear to the valley by closing down schools, torturing, humiliating and killing anyone who stood in their way and this brutality had gripped the Swat region for some two years. It was during this time that this courageous girl sensed that fundamental human rights, e.g. right to education and freedom of speech were being violated blatantly and decided to write a diary for the BBC in 2009. She came to the public attention and became an icon of courage by telling Pakistanis and the world how life under Taliban militants was, despite the personal risks of serious harm to her and her family. She became a fearless activist for the education of girls in her region who had been especially targeted by the Taliban. Article 9 of the Constitution of Pakistan states: “No person shall be deprived of life or liberty save in accordance with law”. In fact, Chapter 1 on Fundamental Human Rights provides safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention and other fundamental rights include freedom of movement, assembly, association, speech and all citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law. It is, however, lamentable that the Constitution of Pakistan is being violated so blatantly and that also with regard to the fundamental rights of its citizens, yet the authorities seem to be helpless and the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which is otherwise seemingly quite active on certain political issues or issues of corruption, has failed to do anything about such serious violations of the Constitution. No one has the right to physically harm, take or attempt to take the life of another. This is not only the law of the land, but is enshrined in international conventions and the laws of each and every country in the world. No one should be allowed to use an excuse, be it on grounds of tradition or religion or anything else, to justify committing violence or engaging in criminal conduct on this pretext. Such actions can never be condoned or defended because to do so directly or indirectly encourages lawlessness. Such individuals should be made an example of according to law so that no one can instil fear in the hearts, minds and lives of the ordinary people and indeed the children of the country. Countless women and girls are being subjected daily to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and even physical and mental torture by men in the Pakistani society who attempt to justify such acts on the grounds of rural/tribal tradition or religion. The female population of Pakistan represents just over 50% of the country’s total population, yet so many of them continue to be victims of oppression and cruelty in their daily lives with no redress and no one to turn to for help. The state institutions and authorities and even the courts side with men when it comes to such complaints, thus diluting or brushing aside the real problem of discrimination, oppression and persecution of women. Even the laws of the land are discriminatory to women in many respects. An example of such discrimination is that the father of a child has more rights compared to the mother. Women are discouraged to participate in sport and are unsafe travelling on their own. Their participation in social life of the country is very limited, segregated or dependant on the dominant male figure in the household. A widespread abuse of women inside police stations, households, at work and generally in rural Pakistan goes unnoticed or the perpetrators are protected by the authorities, thus discouraging the victims into suffering in silence and accepting their fate. Honour killings, Karo Kari, Vanni and abuse of blasphemy laws cannot and should not be tolerated in any society in the 21st century. What use is the National Peace Award to Malala when the Pakistani authorities are unable to provide any protection to her. More importantly, corruption, hypocrisy and lack of political will seem to be mainly responsible for such extensive and horrific abuses of human rights in Pakistan. There should be no compromise and zero tolerance to acts of violence whether in connection with promoting or opposing an ideology. No society can claim to be civilised where words are matched with physical violence, yet the state authorities remain silent. That is perhaps because the state institutions responsible for law and order have miserably failed its citizens to such an extent that they have become dysfunctional and totally insensitive to the security needs, safety and protecting the life and liberties of its own citizens. How many wake-up calls, how many Malalas, Rimsha Masihs, Mukhtara Mais, Salman Taseers, etc. do we still need to fall victim to these extremist criminals before we wise up to the situation and act decisively. The media has to play its part too in exposing this evil criminal mind set which is determined to destroy all human values we so much cherish. Politicians, lawyers, scholars, human rights and civil society activists, students, workers, i.e. people from all walks of life who care about human values and human dignity will have to stand up, be counted, unite and fight to save their own society from international isolation and disintegration. Sooner or later constitutional reform will also be required. Let there be no doubt also that any political leadership which seeks to directly or indirectly side with such an evil mind set will itself eventually fall victim to them. Their intolerance knows no limits and time is fast running out. 11th October 2012 Shahid Dastgir Khan 165 Ley Street, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4BL. Email: sdk184@gmail.com The writer is a human rights activist and Head of the Human Rights Wing of PTI in the UK.