Day: March 10, 2009

By A Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Poet Shabnam Shakeel on Monday blamed the feudal system for cruelties the woman faces, saying social enlightenment among women intellectuals has given rise to resistance literature.
Giving her presidential address at a Mushaira she said unless the feudal system was abolished the woman would continue to suffer physical as well as psychological violence.
The Mushaira was organized by Pakistan Academy of Letters in connection with the International Women Day. The theme of the seminar was “The Role of Women in Pakistan Resistance Literature”.
Sarwat Mohyuddin was the chief guest. Parveen Tahir and Abida Taqi also expressed their views. The proceedings of the function were conducted by Dur-e-Shahwar.
In their interviews numerous intellectuals laid the responsibility of this cruelty on the fendal system. Now, the women raise their voices against injustice through their pen. The women writers have written a lot in this regard which brings forth their feelings.
Sarwat Mohyuddin said that women literature was in fact resistance literature in which she had depicted her sufferings and conveyed her feelings to men.
Basically, their writings are against men’s behavior as the feelings of men and women are different from each other. Their views came forth when they started to express their feelings and this viewpoint is termed as resistance literature.
The women throughout the world have expressed their feelings through their writings which were termed as resistance literature and therefore they were considered worthy of Nobel Prize.
Parveen Tahir said that not only raising of voice against dictatorship and tyrant rulers, patriotisms, nationalism and anti-imperialism is resistance literature but to protest against every sort of social, psychological, injustice is resistance literature. The number of women writers writing in prose is not only greater but their role in resistance literature is more potent and powerful that those writing poetry.
Aabida Taqi said that the women creative writers in Pakistan can be classified through two ways with regard to resistance–those who have made indirect treatment of resistance and those who have made direct treatment of resistance.
The latter group consists of those whose ideology is clear, expression is bold, tone is protesting and they expressed their views in every poetic genre incisively. This is their individual identity and the introduction of their creative personality. “With reference to resistance literature we may find numerous such examples which can be regarded as resistant voices partially if not completely. The writings of women in Pakistan have been forcefully representing resistance in every respect.”
In Mushaira Shabnam Shakeel, Sarwat Mohyuddin, Naureen Talat Arooba, Parveen Tahir, Abida Taqi, Tabassum Ikhlaq, Dr. Naheed Qamar, Dr.Asma, Farah Deeba, Rizwana Syed Ali, Riffat Waheed, Talat Farooq and Nusrat Masood pronounced their poetic creations.
Source: Dawn
Date:3/10/2009

Karachi: Tehrik-e-Niswan’s play “Raqs Karo”, part of their ‘Tlism Drama Festival’, is a befitting tribute to the role of women in the history of humankind, as it traces their progress since the time of Adam and Eve.
The symbolic play was part of the International Women’s Day celebrations, and also marked 30 years of Tehrik-e-Niswan’s existence and efforts to get women their due place in society.
Based on Fehmida Riaz’s poem “Aao Ae Humwatano Raqs Karo, Raqs Karo”, the impact of the 70-minute long musical play was heightened by the powerful vocals of Tina Sani and Gulshanara Syed. The futuristic musical performance, involving multimedia projections, paintings and drama with dance further enhanced the genius of the performance.
Sheema Kirmani, who choreographed the performances, led the line with her graceful dancing, presenting conscious rhythmic movements of the human body as a medium for universal unity. She was ably supported by nine of her dance students. However, their performance was lacking in the fluidity that is the hallmark of a Sheema Kirmani production.
Beginning with pre-historic times, Sheema’s troupe skilfully communicated the tale of women across the millennia, culminating in contemporary Pakistan, where women are subject to rigorous control and violence. Various forms of harassment faced by women, including domestic abuse, cat-calling on the streets, limited choices, the dominant patriarchal strain, and the society as a whole were depicted through interspersed dances and films.
The highlight of the play Undoubtedly remained the elegant use of body movements through which the narrative of women through history unravels. The symbolic veil that encapsulates the woman’s fragile form represented societal impositions upon women, which that stifles their freedom and suppresses the celebration of their form.
However, behind the facade, her spirit is yet to die, and in a last flurry, she breaks through the imprisoning attire. Inhaling the fresh air, she mocks her captors: “Haan Yeh To Tumhaari Hasrat Thi Ab Kiun Ho Pasheeman Raqs Karo”.
Sheema, the eternal activist, ensured that the play ended with yet another dialogue reinforcing the equality of the sexes. The audience responded to the reinforcement and the performers were given a standing ovation as they took their bows.
The festival will continue its first spell till March 15, before resuming from March 27 for its second spell.
Source: The News
Date:3/10/2009

By Our Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the foreign affairs ministry on Monday to find ways and means to bring Dr Aafia Siddiqui back to the country.
Former chief justice of the court, Justice Sardar Aslam, had reserved the verdict last week on a petition by filed by Barrister Iqbal Jaffrey seeking repatriation to the country of Dr Aafia and her children.
The court directed the ministry to examine the possibility of filing a reference with the United Nations if it failed to repatriate the woman detained in the US and her children.
The petitioner in his petition filed in September last year had sought repatriation of Dr Aafia and her minor children Maryam and Salman.
According to the US, the woman was arrested in Afghanistan on July 17 last year and taken to the United States to be tried for attacking an American solider during interrogation.
She had been missing with her three children since 2003.
Source: Dawn
Date:3/10/2009

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari Monday announced that the government would bear expenses for the marriage of 2,500 girls belonging to poor families during the next one year.
The president made the announcement at the prize distribution ceremony in connection with the Seerat Conference at the Presidency. The president also announced ten international scholarships for research scholars for conducting research in Pakistan on Holy Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) to enable them to conduct postgraduate research in the world’s best institutes.
The president also announced the establishment of an Institute of Islamic Research and Scholarship in Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad. He said Pakistan would also hold an International Conference on the topic of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) as Rehmat ul Alamin.
President Asif Ali Zardari gave away prizes to the winners of best books, Naat writing and papers on Seerat. Those who received prizes from the president included: Abdul Rashid Bhatti, Abu-al-Imtiaz, Muhammad Ikhlaq, Hafiz Muhammad Ibrahim Faizi, Hafiz Muhammad Nizarul Hassan, Syed Ahmad Siddiqui, Ghulam Rasool, Sarwar Qureshi, Abdul Haseeb Salik, Mrs. Mudassir Hameed, Dr. Nigar Sajjad Zaheer, Aleemunnisa, Syed Azizur Rehman, Dr. Ikramul Haq Al-Azhari, Qari Syed Sadaqat Ali, Tahira Dastgir, Muhammad Iqbal and Mumtaz Ali Khan.
The ceremony was attended among others by Minister for Religious Affairs Allama Hamid Saeed Kazmi and Minister of State for Religious Affairs Shugafta Jamani, religious scholars, Ulema and intellectuals. Minister for Religious Affairs said collective marriages would be organised during the year at provincial headquarters and in AJK.
Source: The News
Date:3/10/2009

JHANG: A woman died after being raped by three men while some other women were sexually assaulted in different parts of the district during the last 24 hours.
The most heinous occurrence took place in Chak 247, in the jurisdiction of Langrana police station, where Khurram, Shehzad and Sajjad allegedly gang-raped a young housewife. When her condition became precarious, they took her to the Jhang DHQ hospital and fled from there. The woman died there shortly.
The second incident took place in Lalian town, where Wasim, Saleem and Barkhudar allegedly abducted a young girl and assaulted her in an abandoned house.
In Kaki Nou village, area of Shorkot city police, Shafqat and Akram allegedly abducted a girl who was yet to be recovered.
A woman of Kandiwal lodged an FIR with the Kandiwal police station, complaining that Abid, Ahmed, Khizar and Umar had abducted her a couple of days ago and subjected her to rape.
Source: Dawn
Date:3/10/2009