Pakistan have started to call the shots. They are figuring prominently in all walks of life. They have made it to the Senate, the National Assembly and are at the helms of various government departments.
Pakistan’s first lady Sehba Musharraf said women have been given prominent roles in the government. They are being empowered to shoulder more responsibilities and play their part in the development of the country. They are now ministers, advisers and members of Parliament.
In an exclusive interview to Arab News Mrs. Musharraf dwelt on the role of Pakistani women in the government and in society.
Attired in a traditional shalwar qameez, Mrs. Musharraf greeted us with a smile at the high-security president’s residence, called Army House — a simple but elegant place in Rawalpindi — on the outskirts of Islamabad.
A beautiful and intelligent woman, Mrs. Musharraf, who has firmly backed her husband’s policies on national and international issues, spoke about women’s empowerment, obstacles and other factors that concern them in Pakistan.
Since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf came to power in 1999, women have been given a greater and more prominent role in government at all levels, she said.
“Women constitute 50 percent of our population, and so they need to be empowered in a way that they can play a complementary role,” said Mrs. Musharraf. “It is enshrined in our constitution, and when my husband came to power in 1999 it was among the main thrusts of his agenda. He wanted to strengthen the economy and the only way to do so was to empower the lower strata of society. Of course you need to empower the more educated middle class, but you cannot ignore the lower strata, and women play a significant role in this.”
Nevertheless, women in Pakistan still have to overcome obstacles such as illiteracy, poverty and abuse. Honor killing is a very serious and disturbing issue.
Mrs. Musharraf pointed out that honor killing has been made a crime by the assembly. Some laws still need to be amended — such as laws that do not differentiate between rape and adultery.
“There are some discriminatory laws that are very abhorrent. In my opinion, they are crimes. Now the National Commission for the Status of Women has gone through those laws and has tried to redefine them, but they have to go through the assembly first,” said Mrs. Musharraf.
The case of Mukhtaran Mai, who was gang-raped by five men three years ago as retribution for her brother’s alleged affair with a woman from the rapists’ tribe, drew international publicity and critical attention by the media. The district court initially acquitted the accused men, but the government intervened and took it to the Supreme Court where it is still being looked at.
“All developing societies have their problems, even developed societies have problems. Women are always discriminated against; they are never treated at parity. But in our country unfortunately there are times when one event is given extraordinary treatment, and it happened to be so in this case. It’s very sad that the incident happened, but the media hype that followed created a bad impression about Pakistan,” said Mrs. Musharraf.
According to her, it is only a very minor segment of the population that mindlessly engages in these inhumane, un-Islamic practices. “They have to be educated and made aware of what they are doing to their fellow human beings,” she said.
The government is also working on educating women about their rights and empowering them.
“The focus is to empower women, to give them a sense of their own worth — empowering them politically,” Mrs. Musharraf said. “That is why 33 percent of seats were allocated for women in the local government elections. They have also been given more seats in the national and provincial assemblies and the Senate. Women are encouraged to use their common sense and intelligence on how to play their part in society and play it effectively. They have to learn how to negotiate their position.”
The strategy is to implement measures at the local and provincial government levels to ensure that women are not marginalized, ignored or rejected, and that they are recognized politically as an important part of society. More women have run in local elections and have won seats in recent years. They have won from areas where men used to dominate.
Mrs. Musharraf did not say that she had played a role in bringing forth these empowerment measures, but she did say she is a very strong supporter of her husband and the initiatives and policies that look favorably at women and children. She feels that her main role as the first lady is to firmly support her husband.
“My role is to always support whatever I feel close to my heart and my husband’s. He’s an extremely good man. In many ways he’s head and shoulder above other men and I’m not saying this because I’m biased in his favor but he is a very good person, so my role is to be a very strong supporter of him,” said the first lady.
During her travels with her husband, she said, she tries to project her country and considers this as part of her role. She says she is always ready to engage in activities that are close to her heart and interests — education, health and women’s empowerment.
Her personal life certainly changed “dramatically” after becoming the first lady and she fears for her husband’s safety, especially after the two attempts on his life.
“It was very scary, but Allah is great and He keeps us safe,” she said, adding that she prays for her husband a lot. “Allah is much powerful than those misguided people. I hope and pray they know better. No one has the right to take someone’s life, only Allah has.”
She considers those who resort to violence and terrorism in expressing their objections to her husband’s policies as criminals. “They have no respect for human life. There is a better way to deal with conflicts through negotiation,” she said.
Mrs. Musharraf has taken more interest in issues since she became first lady and she is certainly more conspicuous than previous Pakistani first ladies.
“In this age, women have to be, if they can manage it, positively visible. I believe strongly that the nucleus of every society is the family and the linchpin of that nucleus is the woman,” she said. Women have to play a balanced role between their duties at home and outside, said Mrs. Musharraf, adding that society gets “fragmented” if women give more priority to their duties outside than at home. She used to teach until 1986 and when her husband was given greater responsibility, she had to make a choice.
“It’s good to have the extra money, it gives women enormous feeling of strength,” she said. “But you have to weigh the situation. I made my choice and I have no regrets.”
The day before the interview was Kashmir Solidarity Day when Pakistan commemorates the struggle in Kashmir, another “very close issue to our heart,” as Mrs. Musharraf put it.
“For no fault of theirs, Kashmiris were being treated unfairly. I hope and pray that the peace process initiated by my husband comes to a positive conclusion. I’m not a political person but when I look at the human suffering, I feel that we should not be heading ourselves to self-destruction,” she said.
Unfortunately, the disastrous earthquake added to their miseries, but the Pakistani government from day one made efforts for their immediate recovery and rehabilitation which is in the process, according to Mrs. Musharraf.
“My husband has given a year-end deadline for as many people as possible to be rehabilitated. I think it’s going well and the way our people responded to the emergency was extremely satisfying,” she said. Mrs. Musharraf wishes to see Pakistan among the well-developed countries. As for women in Pakistan, she perceives the lack of recognition of their achievements and valuable contributions to society as a major challenge for them. Their work and achievements need to be recognized by the media and the society, she said.
Pakistan’s first lady Sehba Musharraf said women have been given prominent roles in the government. They are being empowered to shoulder more responsibilities and play their part in the development of the country. They are now ministers, advisers and members of Parliament.
In an exclusive interview to Arab News Mrs. Musharraf dwelt on the role of Pakistani women in the government and in society.
Attired in a traditional shalwar qameez, Mrs. Musharraf greeted us with a smile at the high-security president’s residence, called Army House — a simple but elegant place in Rawalpindi — on the outskirts of Islamabad.
A beautiful and intelligent woman, Mrs. Musharraf, who has firmly backed her husband’s policies on national and international issues, spoke about women’s empowerment, obstacles and other factors that concern them in Pakistan.
Since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf came to power in 1999, women have been given a greater and more prominent role in government at all levels, she said.
“Women constitute 50 percent of our population, and so they need to be empowered in a way that they can play a complementary role,” said Mrs. Musharraf. “It is enshrined in our constitution, and when my husband came to power in 1999 it was among the main thrusts of his agenda. He wanted to strengthen the economy and the only way to do so was to empower the lower strata of society. Of course you need to empower the more educated middle class, but you cannot ignore the lower strata, and women play a significant role in this.”
Nevertheless, women in Pakistan still have to overcome obstacles such as illiteracy, poverty and abuse. Honor killing is a very serious and disturbing issue.
Mrs. Musharraf pointed out that honor killing has been made a crime by the assembly. Some laws still need to be amended — such as laws that do not differentiate between rape and adultery.
“There are some discriminatory laws that are very abhorrent. In my opinion, they are crimes. Now the National Commission for the Status of Women has gone through those laws and has tried to redefine them, but they have to go through the assembly first,” said Mrs. Musharraf.
The case of Mukhtaran Mai, who was gang-raped by five men three years ago as retribution for her brother’s alleged affair with a woman from the rapists’ tribe, drew international publicity and critical attention by the media. The district court initially acquitted the accused men, but the government intervened and took it to the Supreme Court where it is still being looked at.
“All developing societies have their problems, even developed societies have problems. Women are always discriminated against; they are never treated at parity. But in our country unfortunately there are times when one event is given extraordinary treatment, and it happened to be so in this case. It’s very sad that the incident happened, but the media hype that followed created a bad impression about Pakistan,” said Mrs. Musharraf.
According to her, it is only a very minor segment of the population that mindlessly engages in these inhumane, un-Islamic practices. “They have to be educated and made aware of what they are doing to their fellow human beings,” she said.
The government is also working on educating women about their rights and empowering them.
“The focus is to empower women, to give them a sense of their own worth — empowering them politically,” Mrs. Musharraf said. “That is why 33 percent of seats were allocated for women in the local government elections. They have also been given more seats in the national and provincial assemblies and the Senate. Women are encouraged to use their common sense and intelligence on how to play their part in society and play it effectively. They have to learn how to negotiate their position.”
The strategy is to implement measures at the local and provincial government levels to ensure that women are not marginalized, ignored or rejected, and that they are recognized politically as an important part of society. More women have run in local elections and have won seats in recent years. They have won from areas where men used to dominate.
Mrs. Musharraf did not say that she had played a role in bringing forth these empowerment measures, but she did say she is a very strong supporter of her husband and the initiatives and policies that look favorably at women and children. She feels that her main role as the first lady is to firmly support her husband.
“My role is to always support whatever I feel close to my heart and my husband’s. He’s an extremely good man. In many ways he’s head and shoulder above other men and I’m not saying this because I’m biased in his favor but he is a very good person, so my role is to be a very strong supporter of him,” said the first lady.
During her travels with her husband, she said, she tries to project her country and considers this as part of her role. She says she is always ready to engage in activities that are close to her heart and interests — education, health and women’s empowerment.
Her personal life certainly changed “dramatically” after becoming the first lady and she fears for her husband’s safety, especially after the two attempts on his life.
“It was very scary, but Allah is great and He keeps us safe,” she said, adding that she prays for her husband a lot. “Allah is much powerful than those misguided people. I hope and pray they know better. No one has the right to take someone’s life, only Allah has.”
She considers those who resort to violence and terrorism in expressing their objections to her husband’s policies as criminals. “They have no respect for human life. There is a better way to deal with conflicts through negotiation,” she said.
Mrs. Musharraf has taken more interest in issues since she became first lady and she is certainly more conspicuous than previous Pakistani first ladies.
“In this age, women have to be, if they can manage it, positively visible. I believe strongly that the nucleus of every society is the family and the linchpin of that nucleus is the woman,” she said. Women have to play a balanced role between their duties at home and outside, said Mrs. Musharraf, adding that society gets “fragmented” if women give more priority to their duties outside than at home. She used to teach until 1986 and when her husband was given greater responsibility, she had to make a choice.
“It’s good to have the extra money, it gives women enormous feeling of strength,” she said. “But you have to weigh the situation. I made my choice and I have no regrets.”
The day before the interview was Kashmir Solidarity Day when Pakistan commemorates the struggle in Kashmir, another “very close issue to our heart,” as Mrs. Musharraf put it.
“For no fault of theirs, Kashmiris were being treated unfairly. I hope and pray that the peace process initiated by my husband comes to a positive conclusion. I’m not a political person but when I look at the human suffering, I feel that we should not be heading ourselves to self-destruction,” she said.
Unfortunately, the disastrous earthquake added to their miseries, but the Pakistani government from day one made efforts for their immediate recovery and rehabilitation which is in the process, according to Mrs. Musharraf.
“My husband has given a year-end deadline for as many people as possible to be rehabilitated. I think it’s going well and the way our people responded to the emergency was extremely satisfying,” she said. Mrs. Musharraf wishes to see Pakistan among the well-developed countries. As for women in Pakistan, she perceives the lack of recognition of their achievements and valuable contributions to society as a major challenge for them. Their work and achievements need to be recognized by the media and the society, she said.
sourse:www.arabnews.com
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