Day: September 20, 2012

By: Sehrish Wasif

ISLAMABAD: Six months on, the process of establishing the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) is still in limbo with hardly anyone at the senior level paying much heed to it. The slow progress stands in contrast to the government’s tall claims regarding women development and empowerment — with such a body in place since March 23, 2012.

The previous commission under the old act concluded its term in the third week of March this year. A revised legislation to make the NCSW an independent body was passed on February 2, 2012. The legislation was subsequently signed by President Asif Ali Zardari on March 8.

Unfortunately, no preparation was undertaken to appoint new members for the commission under the revised act. No arrangements were made to either extend the term of the previous commission or introduce some transitional mechanism as a stopgap measure.

The donor-funded contractual staff was eventually withdrawn and the commission’s functions have been suspended since.

After the first round of applications for the commission’s chairperson in April, shortlisted names were never forwarded to the premier and the leader of the opposition by the human rights ministry. Following a lapse of four months, the vacant position was advertised once again on August 7.

It’s been speculated that significant politicking, especially with female parliamentarians, led to the delay. The official pretext given claimed that the wording of the new act required a public notice be put up for ‘suggestions’ rather than applications for the chairperson. Some criticism on re-advertising the post implied the door was being reopened for a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate.

Six names were finally shortlisted and forwarded to the PM and opposition leader on September 6. The list included the names of Dr Fouzia Saeed, Anis Haroon, Khawar Mumtaz and Muniza Hashmi among others.

Since then, no progress has been reported.

Talking to The Express Tribune, prominent women’s rights activist Tahira Abdullah said she had never seen such a long delay in the appointment of the next chairperson. “This shows how low the government prioritises women’s concerns,” she added.

“A candidate acceptable to all sections and segments should be selected.”

Farzana Bari, another women’s rights activist, said the delay indicated two things: “Empowering women is not a top priority for the government and the candidates shortlisted are not favoured by the committee members.”

Meanwhile, a split in nominations between the Sindh and Punjab Women’s Action Forums (WAF) is raising further concerns. The Sindh WAF endorses a candidate from Karachi, while many in its counterpart in Punjab put forth a name from Lahore.

The Express Tribune

On September 10, the police arrested 10 men who are implicated in the ordering of a 13-year-old girl to marry an elderly man in Mingora, in order to settle a feud between two families. The tradition, known as swara, is a Pashtun custom of forcibly marrying girls to men of rival families to settle disputes. In this case, the girl was used to compensate for an extramarital affair her brother had with a woman from the other family, else the girl’s family would have had to pay Rs253,000 or face imprisonment.

One of the most disturbing aspects of this story is that the jirga took place at a police station, which later arrested the offenders. Hopefully, the public pressure that ensued once the story appeared in the media, changed the minds of the authorities. The police, along with the jirga, are at fault for trying to make the girl act against her will. This is highly condemnable as the police are responsible for protecting the rights of citizens.

Conversely, the girl and her family who raised their voice and reported the case to lawyers and the court should be commended for their courage because in Pakistan, often stories only get public attention after a wrong has been committed, rather than before, when someone comes forward to bring attention to an imminent tragedy. The positive outcome in this story is that attention was brought to the issue and action was taken before injustice was delivered.

Now, facing pressure from the courts, the police have formed a committee to investigate the case. While it is a welcome move, a committee should not have to be formed every time tragedy or scandals strike. Specialised teams should already be in place to investigate specific issues that plague our society, such as swara and ‘honour’ killings, domestic, child and labour abuse, youth labour and beggar gangs. Additionally, a committee should be overseeing or working collaboratively with jirgas, if they must exist at all, to ensure their rulings in all cases are just.

The Express Tribune