Offering a Fresh Perspective on Muslim Women

Dr. Shahla Haeri is the director of the Women's Studies Program at Boston University. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology and is the author of No Shame for the Sun: Lives of Professional Pakistani Women (Syracuse Press, 2001). Through her book Dr. Haeri hopes to offer a fresh perspective on the lives of Muslim women which challenges the stereotypes of Muslim women being generally oppressed.

Dr. Haeri has lived and researched in Pakistan. No Shame for the Sun includes detail interviews with six educated and professional Pakistani women, as well as Dr. Haeri's analysis of these women's status in Pakistani society.

The women in the book come from diverse backgrounds. Readers get an intimate look at each of their lives. Quratul Ain Bakhteari talks about growing up in a refugee camp after independence and the partition of India and Pakistan. She becomes an active participant in the community and goes on to obtain her PhD despite pressures of marriage and children. We get to know Rahila Tiwana, her political activism, her imprisonment, and her struggles in police custody. Through Ayesha Siddiqa we learn how the feudal conscience develops. Ayesha is well aware of her vulnerable status as a female feudal lord. She is constantly striving to be better or stronger than a man in every aspect. Pakistan’s internationally revered feminist poet, Kishwar Naheed, tells us about her troubled marriage, her start in literature, and her status as a feminist and activist. The amazing Sajida Mokarram Shah tells us about the stigma of becoming a widow. She discusses her struggle to raise her children independently despite intense family opposition, getting a job, getting a law degree, and having a promising law career, all after becoming a widow. Last but not least we get to know, Nilofer Ahmed, the Sufi feminist, her stance on women’s rights in a religious context and her work to raise awareness of these rights.

Each woman tells a fixating and inspirational story. This is Dr Haeri's second book. She hopes to translate it into Urdu (official language of Pakistan) and Persian. In 2001, she also produced a documentary film called Mrs. President: Women and Political Leadership in Iran.

(Interviewer's note: The following is an excerpt of an interview which that was conducted mostly through telephone conversations, as well as, some e-mail exchanges.)

Dr. Haeri, you were born and raised in Iran and came to the US by yourself at a young age in order to attend college. What was that experience like for you, having come from a conservative culture like Iran’s?

It was difficult because I was emotionally very much attached to my sisters and brother, my [whole] family. I was very close to my siblings and my cousins, you know, and [we] got together often. So, in that sense it was hard. But in the sense of discovering a new world, It was very exciting. You know, I quickly picked up things, I rented my own apartment, I started painting it and doing things that you would never do [back home]. Then I became involved in my school and tried to learn English. I was very much determined to learn English because you know, unlike Pakistanis, Iranians don’t learn English from childhood. So I needed to put a lot of effort in my English, which I did.

Did your parents encourage you to go abroad for studies?
Not particularly. But when I did not pass the university entrance examination [in Iran], primarily because of my English, the only option at that time was to go abroad [for further education]. I had a cousin at Harvard University [so] my mother thought it would be okay for me to come to Boston. You see, almost everybody in my paternal extended family had gone to college. My mother was a teacher, so higher education was not considered a luxury but a necessity. My mother wanted me to become a physician… So, to her credit she encouraged me to come to Boston and go to school here even though she didn't want me to leave her.

So why did you decide to study Sociology instead of Medicine after you got to Boston?
I studied sociology, which was really not a very wise thing to do because I could hardly speak the language. But I was excited about this new world… I was always socially and politically conscious. My father encouraged us to be politically aware of what was going on around us. Then, you know, I arrived in the United States in the late 1960s, which coincided with the beginning of the third wave of the feminist movement. So, I became very much impressed and excited about sociology. But later on I switched to cultural anthropology.

You state in the book your reasons for choosing Pakistani women for the subject of No Shame For the Sun. Can you speak more about that. Why did you decide to go to Pakistan as oppose to Iran for the research for your book? Well, I also briefly mention in the book that I would have liked to go back to Iran but what was happening in Iran at that time [1980-88] was just too painful to bare. I just didn’t think that I [could] go back to Iran, for a variety of reasons, most important of which was the ongoing war [with Iraq]. So I [thought] of going to the Middle East or North Africa to do field work. But then I was talking to a friend who said, “Why don’t you go to South Asia? There are a lot of things you can do there.” And all of a sudden, you know, a light went on in my head and I thought, “Yes, why not? We always seem to be looking to the West [but] why not go back East?” And that was the best decision I ever made. I applied for a grant, a post doctorate grant, and fortunately I got it, but that was mainly for India.

So I went. I had a short stop in Pakistan. I was pleasantly surprised, because as you know, in 1987, Pakistan was under General Zia. Despite that, it seemed to be relatively freer than what I had experienced in Iran, and that the people were just wonderful, very helpful, excited to see me. From there I went to India and similarly I found Indians just as warm. Sometime I would forget where was I, whether in Pakistan or in India, because people were really nice. Whether they were Hindus, Jains, or Muslims, didn’t make any difference. They were just all very friendly, going out of their way to be helpful to me.

Did you know anyone in Pakistan before you went there?
Not a single soul! Now when I think about it, I wonder, “How did I manage to do that?” When I arrived in Karachi, I got there early in the morning and my suitcase got lost. I kept on thinking, “how am I going to make it to the hotel?” Finally, I [found] my suitcase and walked to the bus early in the morning. I was the only woman in that bus - and at that hour. The guys in the bus just stared at me - which was pretty nerve wrecking.

So going to Pakistan, after having grown up in Iran, where women are required to veil, did you find Pakistani society to be a little more liberating?
This is really very interesting. If I ever get a chance I will write about it [laughing]. You know, before the revolution, of course, [Iranian women] didn’t veil. So we had the experience of not being [forced] to veil. Women wore skirts and sleeveless dresses. So I was brought up under [those] conditions... When I went to Pakistan, on one level I found it liberating, in the sense that I didn’t have to wear the veil [head scarf and long overcoat]. But in another sense I found it very oppressive. Even more so than what you may find in Iran under the present conditions. That is very paradoxical! Because in Iran once you have [on] the veil, the scarf and the long robe, you can basically go anywhere and do anything. Where as in Pakistan, even though I was always dressed in shalwar qameez, if I were to walk out on the street [by myself], I would be stared at. It was apparently something not done. And then, of course, I realized that many of the Pakistanis [from] upper-middle class and middle class have drivers who drive them around. Karachi is a little bit different, in Karachi it was okay but Lahore was oppressive on some levels.

When you went to Pakistan, was it with the intention to go and interview women and talk to them?
No, no, I didn’t have the idea at all. Actually, after that year (1987-88), I applied for another grant, which I got - a small grant for a short period - to be in Pakistan and that had to do with the tension between the fundamentalists and the secularists within a democratic state. I wanted to see what roles women played and how they engaged with institutions of power. So I was more interested in the development of fundamentalism and in how women responded to that. So when I first went to Pakistan it was with a different project.

The women whom you interview in the book are all very strong and inspirational figures. Each has gone through her own trials. They speak about some very personal and intimate experiences from their lives. Was it difficult to get them to open up?
Well, these women did not all react the same way to my inquiries and interests. Some were my friends [after having lived in Pakistan over multiple trips there] and I knew them for a while before they agreed to talk to me about their personal life. With some others, we seemed to have hit it off quickly. Our interactions were more like open ended conversations rather than a structured interview. Perhaps that's why they felt more comfortable to delve into their emotions.

One thing that stands out about the book is that the women whom you interviewed, they are all from affluent, privileged backgrounds. Did you purposely do that?
Yes, I intended to do that because if we look at all the [anthropological] books on women from the Muslim world -- most that are published in the US at least, I don’t know about Europe -- are primarily about peasant women, tribal women, rural women, urban poor women. [They are] seldom, if ever, about the lives or activities of educated, professional, upper-middle class women who have all along been very important in their societies, engaged in various institutions of power, have been participating in the public domain and trying to influence some change.

Do you think you have succeeded in your mission, which was to reveal the professional and working Muslim women to the Western audience. In other words, who is reading your book now? Is it being read in colleges?
Well to some extent I have been successful if only to introduce the idea into the discourse. Even the fact that I have in the subtitle ‘Lives of Professional Women,’ that by itself created a lot of interest. In fact, I was just attending a conference in Canada, an international conference, and one of the themes that was proposed was to have more research done on the lives and activities of professional women in the Muslim world because this is the category of women who are in fact trying to influence change or supporting women’s human rights. Since my book was published, I have been invited to give many talks on Pakistan. Many professors at Universities have been using my book. So, I guess it is reaching a wide audience.

Before you wrote this book, you have written another book? Yes, it’s called Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shiite Iran. How long did it take you to write that book? Well, that book was based on my Ph.D. dissertation. So I did my research in Iran, which was faster because I could speak the language, travel easily, and talk to people. I did the research both before and after the Revolution [of 1979]. After the Revolution, I was in Iran for six months and then it took me about three years [to complete the book] and then another two years to get it into a book form. I actually submitted it a lot earlier, but it took my publisher a long time to publish it. So it came out in 1989 and quickly it was sold out, and had to be reprinted in 1993. Now my publisher wants me to write a new introduction [for republishing].

Dr. Haeri, it has been a pleasure talking to you and learning about your experience in writing No Shame for the Sun. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

source:www.jazbah.org

Perfect Women. Imperfect Men

Fouzia is more than a picture-perfect woman. Young, educated, intelligent, pretty, feminist, political and human rights activist, educationist and a social worker. She is soft spoken and a very affectionate, caring woman. She has a PhD. in Sociology from the University

of California, USA. Fouzia loves fine and performing arts, classical and semi-classical music. She has been associated with non-government organizations (NGOs) and women’s help groups. She has also acted in plays and performed as a classical and folk dancer. With her attractive personality and engaging communication skills Fouzia becomes the center of any social, artistic, political or private gathering. Once I asked her how she has managed to stay single and avoided marriage as most women desire that union. Surely there would have been no shortage of highly successful and popular eligible bachelors vying for her attention. Fouzia with her ever-wonderful smile and sweet voice replied, “I don’t want to get into that mess!”

Fouzia is not the only such Pakistani woman. I have come across many Fouzias, educated, talented, professional, independent, successful, charming and popular women who have preferred to stay single and keep marriage on the back burner. There is Salma who has a great job working in a multinational corporation, traveling the world, being sought at seminars, workshops, parties and yet leading her single life on her terms. She is tall, attractive with an infectious laugh and a wonderful personality. She firmly states that she will not be pressured into marriage for the sake of just being married and will wait for ‘Mr. Right’ as long as it takes, even forever!

Then there are other professional women with the difference that they got married, lived a few happy years and found their educated, brilliant, successful husbands stuck in the bad old ways where women took a back seat and men called all the shots. The men were not ready to compromise. The men’s careers, choices, and whims took precedent over their wives. It did not matter how successful the women were in their work. The marriage faltered and the women soon realized that they are better off without their spouses.

These women are mostly from the middle or upper middle class. They lead a very busy social and professional life. They are highly successful, very popular and have several male friends as well. Some have enjoyed romantic relationships only to be disappointed with the self-centered, egoistic beings of their companions. Others may be too engrossed in their high-pressure and demanding careers to give marriage a serious thought until they have become too used to their way of life. These women have from the outset ruled out the concept of ‘arranged marriages.’

While in the western countries the choice of staying single for whatever reasons has become an accepted one, it is still frowned upon in our country. One has to admire these Pakistani women’s courage to live and face the world as single women on their terms.

When I asked Sheema Kermani, feminist, political activist, noted classical dancer, head of Tehrik-e-Niswan, an NGO devoted to the uplift of women through performing arts, she thoughtfully reflected: “The institution of marriage is itself very difficult and unnatural, specially for women who go through the process of ‘arranged marriage’ and are forced to live with someone for the rest of their lives. The predetermined roles husband and wife are assigned by the society are no longer valid as Pakistani women have advanced emotionally and psychologically far more than the men. The latter may create an aura of being strong, successful, outgoing, working professionally, but in reality they are backward emotionally, psychologically and are very insecure. The men may appear as modern and advanced but are quite conservative. Their attitude towards marriage is warped. They are caught in between. On one hand they want their wives to be modern, university educated and glamorous; on the other they don’t want their wives to be free and independent. Rather, they prefer the wives to be totally dependent on them. Even those men married to professionally successful women are not prepared to share household work or parenting responsibilities. Insecurity leads the men to be jealous and possessive of the wives.” Sheema emphasizes that Women want a free, happy marriage rather than a bonded type!

Fahmida Riaz, famous poet, writer, dramatist, feminist, traced the problem to the historical inequities and injustices to women. “ Most societies have given an inferior position to women,” she pointed out. “Men are conditioned by social values. So are women. Many women accept the inferior position and are comfortable with it. But now more and more women are challenging and trying to emerge out of this situation of inferiority. However, men are finding it much more difficult to cope with the independent-minded women. Humaray mosaheray mein mardon kau sikhaya jaata hai kai agar woh aurtaun kau dominate nahi karaingay tau woh such moch mard hi nahi hain!” (In our society the men are taught that that if they do not dominate the women then they are not real men!)”. Fahmida feels that today’s women are more conscious and aware of their rights. They are demanding equality and respect. They are also earning their own living. Thus today they are not so hard pressed for marriage. The women can enjoy a social status without a marriage. They can also remain single for a much longer time.

Ms. Sarwat Sultana, a successful career woman, Public Relations Officer, Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), is of the view that, “ the educational level of women has risen dramatically and more women have acquired a higher level of education than ever before. These educated women do not usually find suitable educated men. So they end up marrying less- educated men. Then men start feeling threatened by such women and try to put the women down as inferior being.” Sarwat Sultana also talked about the taboo against women not getting married and opting to stay single. Some of those who get married and are treated as ‘housewives’ (as if these women are married to the houses!), good only for raising children and looking after the home. The women eventually get fed up and move away from their husbands. “Women are seeking security, equality, respect and friendship from their husbands. They want to pursue their interests, careers and have a life of their own as well,” concludes Ms. Sultana.

To find out more about the underlying emotional and psychological reasons behind this complex issue, I talked to one of the country’s best-known psychiatrist, human rights activist, Dr. Haroon Ahmed. He traced the current state to the marriage institution itself as it is commonly accepted. “In our society marriage is arranged by the elders in the family. There are not many places where boys and girls can freely meet and explore the possibility of a relationship leading to marriage. There is some interaction between the young people at mehndi and marriage ceremonies. That is not enough. They have nothing to do in the evenings.” In Dr. Haroon’s assessment, today more girls are university educated than boys. For the past many years, the girls have been consistently outperforming boys in all levels of examinations, from matriculation and intermediate to graduation and post-graduation. (This seems to be a universal trend. In the recent ‘A’ level examination results in the United Kingdom, the dominance of girls over the boys has gone to an all time high—over 9%.) Education-wise, competency-wise the women have outdone men. Today’s women cannot remain mere commodities to be married to any one without their own choosing or choice. They will also not accept a life of misery and suffering if their husbands turn out to be not to their liking, or worse, mistreat them. The days of ‘ghar say doli jai aur janaza aai’ (Once married there is no other life for women until death) are fast becoming ugly relics of the past. Education and careers have given women a new confidence. They now have higher expectations. They are exposed to new ideas today as never before. The conditions of marriage as put forth by men are no longer acceptable to them. Some marriages have broken down on the basis of the pursuit of individual careers.



Dr. Unaiza Niaz on men, women, relationships and their psyche

In a detailed analysis of this issue, Dr. Unaiza Niaz, well known psychologist and psychotherapist, head of the Stress Research Centre, who specializes in the treatment of stress, anger and deep psychological problems resulting from failed relationships, finds that: “ Today we all are in the phase of developing ourselves to be better and successful human beings. The basis of harmony in life is success and fulfillment. The disharmony comes from inner insecurity and self-doubt. Truly happy people tend to be modest, soft spoken and resilient by nature. One doesn’t necessarily have to be intelligent to be a happy human being. Emotional intelligence is more essential in that it depicts the depth in a person.

Personality strengths do not mean being worldly-wise and successful. True strengths in a personality are reflected in maintaining a balance in life, embodying certain disciplines, understanding human weaknesses and having empathy for fellow human beings. Some of us have been able to do better than others. We should aspire to be what we want to be in life. And let others be what they want to be in life. No two people are alike. No two more so than men and women.” “Remember ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, (Title of Dr. John Gray’s best selling book considered a practical guide for improving communications and getting what you want in your relationships.). She declares, “We have our own little spaces. When this is threatened chaos and disorder takes over.”

Dr. Unaiza then talked about the basic differences that she feels why women are different than men, “Women are primarily creative beings. Doll making, ceramic and porcelain painting, sense of colours, pottery, embroidery, are only few of their creations. Women have an eye for the artistic and the aesthetic and all the finer things in our lives.”

Dr. Unaiza is hopeful and optimistic that with major developments in science and technology; revolutionary changes all around the world, acceptance and even incorporating the concept of human right and women’s rights, universally under the various U.N. Conventions and nationally in many countries laws, men are also adapting to the feminine attributes of sensitivity, care and finer aesthetic sensibility.

She traces the historical and traditional roles of the two genders. “Men were supposed to take care of bread and butter and provide protection and home to the women. With civilization, maturity, globalization, women are taking over more and more of men’s roles and responsibilities and men are doing the opposite and learning the women’s roles and responsibilities. In a family unit the man is considered the head and thus the boss. If you are sensitive and educated the roles are interchangeable and replaceable. And should be so. One need not be rigid and stiff.”

Dr. Unaiza in her analysis thinks that when more and more women became successful professionals and careerists, they felt equal (to men), and started emulating men; becoming loud, crude, aggressive—‘the hockey stick’ personality. Then they became feminists, officially feminine, looking attractive but not attracting attention. They were now not afraid to express themselves freely and forcefully. It’s been a difficult and an uphill battle for women. Highly qualified women have not found acceptance at work because women have very ‘special’ personalities. These women have all their male colleagues’ attributes plus they also have charm, sensitivity and adaptability. Thus their male colleagues find it very tough to compete with them. The key is that these women are not trying to compete with men. They are being what they are, women. All these women really want is the same respect, support and understanding, which they extend to the men at work. Some women may even be tempted to exploit their situations but such occasions are very rare.

Dr. Unaiza affirms that there are some inherent qualities in men and women respectively. Men are more physical. Women are more emotional and sensitive. Men are better aware of their sexuality and sexual pleasures. Few women have this awareness. Sexual factor is very important as women resent it and feel that they are being exploited. On the other hand men are neither verbal nor expressive about their feelings. When sensible and mature couples have problems, they should give space, respect and equality to each other. Dr. Unaiza strongly feels that marriage is a roller coaster ride. Couples should be adaptable, understanding, trusting and above all remain friends. Professional women end up burning the candle at both ends.

“In situations of conflict is where I come in,” Dr. Unaiza says. “I encourage men to play the mother’s role as well; appreciate the woman’s juggling and balancing role in life. I tell women that if the men are reasonable guys, hold them, mould them and make them your best friends. Women have to play a very active and positive role. They are intelligent, proactive and can help in the civilization of men! Both jointly complete the picture as they are the colours in the picture and as such inseparable.”

- Nafees Ghaznavi



To find out the thoughts and views of the today’s generation I talked to some young men and women. A modern, independent Pakistani woman living and working in New York said that she had not given much thought to marriage as yet. She was too busy with her work and life in general. She rejected outright the idea of an arranged marriage—“Never!” She thought that, “Women who lack confidence and are confused about their values would face problems in life as well as in marriage. If you are smart enough, astute, intuitive and know yourself, there shouldn’t be a problem in finding a partner. Hopefully I will find one soon and yes, I would like to get married,” she confided and to my surprise asked me not to publish her name.

A young entrepreneur, who is in a hurry to be highly successful in business and also contribute as a human rights and social activist took time off his busy schedule to give his views on the subject. Omair Lodhi’s schooling was in England and higher education in USA, yet he is happy living in Karachi. Omair says that there is something wrong with today’s women. Their priorities are not in order. They are over-ambitious which is not a good thing. Being ambitious is good. Ambition is what you can realistically achieve. In life every endeavor should not be to prove a point, a kind of one upwomanship. Omair strongly feels that there is a woman for every man and a man for every woman. A woman should not let the opportunity (of getting her man) pass by is how Omair sees it. Women as housewives are taken for granted by men. They can understand women’s traditional roles. Similarly the concept of men working is universally accepted. But women working and taking good jobs is hard for men to digest. “Women have to realize and understand that most men work under a great deal of pressure,” was Omair’s advice. He felt that when women become successful in their careers they do not strike a balance. To them career becomes everything. Its good for women to be professional but women should also be able to fulfill their responsibilities towards their homes, their children. She has to decide about her priorities in life. Omair further ventured in deeper waters by suggesting that women are jealous of other women. There’s no end to a woman’s jealousy. Women also become frustrated and turn vindictive by asserting that they don’t need a man. These women in Omair’s opinion opt out of marriage.

Young Tahira Saleem an art-student who hopes to be a famous artist one day, summed up her views thus: “No matter what these women--beautiful, intelligent, educated, talented-- think about the men—conservative, old-fashioned, even dumb—they (the women) cannot live without them (the men). It is nature. That’s the way it is!”

One artist who has already made his mark in the world of art, Shahid Rissam was very keen to speak on the subject. Like a true artist, Shahid’s art is more than just painting. He is an avid reader, loves literature, studied art in London and Paris and is a visiting art teacher in the UAE. So it was not surprising that Shahid started off with a couplet from Zehra Nigah’s poem:
Aurat kay khuda dau hain haqeeqi aur majazi
Pur iss kay liyyay koi bhi achha nahin hota
(Woman has been blessed with two gods, one heavenly, one worldly
But none have brought her any bliss)

Shahid refused to generalize about men and women. He pointed out that every person--man or woman--is different from another, having a different psyche and a different background. Women have definitely come a long way. With education and opportunities they now have a greater potential and desire to succeed in life. Shahid believes that in the past many marriages were successful because of understanding and a high degree of tolerance. Shahid said that: “Happiness depends on what you give and not what you get,” quoting Mahatma Gandhi. This philosophy of giving has now ended. Being educated one should learn and be prepared to understand each other better. One’s expectation in life and marriage should not be idealistic.
As for his own marriage, Shahid asserted that he was against the tradition that men should marry women who are younger than men. Shahid wanted a woman who would share his ideas. “One who would point out my weaknesses and the mistakes I make,” Shahid declared. He gave the example of Will Durant’s work, “Pleasure of Philosophy,” This work was only possible because of Durant’s wife. The teacher at Cambridge University, London, England, married one of his students, quit his job and went on a world trip. His wife accompanied him and shared his passion throughout their life. Also the saga of “A Beautiful Mind,” Nobel laureate Dr. John Nash’s deep inner struggle while pursuing his marvelous work. The man was schizophrenic. His wife not only helped him get over his illness but also looked after him and their children all by herself. Shahid paid tributes to women by proclaiming, “A woman has that magic that can change the world, leave alone a man.”

A young man, Adnan Jaffar, back from a six-year study and a master’s degree from the USA, sounded more feminist than some women, in his initial observations. According to him men haven’t come to terms with the reality that women coming out, as professionals, are as good or even better than men in their respective fields. “It’s not that women don’t make good bosses. The truth is that men are not yet prepared to accept the women as such,” declared the young man. The men haven’t broken out of the old mindset of male dominance and chauvinism. “The men still see women as ‘sex objects.’ It doesn’t matter how tahzeebwala banda hai (how cultured a guy is), he still has it in his subconscious this sexist image of women.” Then Adnan shocked me by confessing, “I am also such a man!” He defended himself by saying that consciously, “I try to breakout of this mould. In the presence of women I am well behaved. I speak the politically correct language. I don’t try to stare at women and make them feel uncomfortable. But deep down I am not much different than most Pakistani men. This is how Pakistani male has grown up to be. May be it is the segregation of males and females in our society. My elders tell me that it was not so in the 50’s and the 60’s; even until the late 70’s.” He thinks most Pakistani men marry to have a legitimate relationship. Marriage is the only way out for Pakistani men (and women). He illustrated this point by saying that when a man talks about his sexual frustrations his friends usually advise him, ‘Ttau tum shadi kiyon nahi karlatey?’ (Why don’t you get married?). Where there is integration of men and women, the men start thinking and behaving differently. The inhibitions start breaking down. And when it comes to relationships they are easier to make and turn out to be more stable. Another sad aspect of our society according to our young philosopher is that friendships between boys and girls end when one of them gets married. The inhibitions and the sexist attitude surprisingly are more common among the upper classes, the so-called elitists. The respect shown to women is superficial. As to how he intends to find his life partner, Adnan Jaffar summed up thus: “First I will gauge her views, her ideas, her total personality. Then if we have something to talk about and share the same interests and there is something original about her, then I will become serious about her. Just knowing a girl will not be enough for me. In our social milieu most romances begin with mere social contact between a guy and a girl. This is a sign that we still are immature and not yet fully grown up to enjoy healthy and stable relationships.”

Mariam Ghaznavi, a very talented and bright young woman, a journalist living and working in Karachi, was very forthright and outspoken: “ I don’t think I will ever find someone compatible and totally understanding. There are many guys who are educated and intelligent but they still live in the old world. They think that they are the kings of the castles and the women in their lives should revolve around them. These men believe that girls should not have a personality of their own. The wives are supposed to be totally dependent on the husbands and whatever the men say should be done. The men don’t believe marriage is a partnership for them—it is a rulership! (“Rulership? Is there such a word? Am I making sense?” Mariam herself interrupted her speech. Since she seemed to be enjoying herself and on a roll, I encouraged her to just go on.) “These guys treat you with full respect and equality as long as you are their friends. But if you become a wife or even a girlfriend then all respect and equality is blown away with the wind.” At this I could not help asking Mariam how has she come to such negative conclusions? “Seeing people around me. Seeing my friends. Seeing myself. All experiences mashed together,” she answered. As to how she sees herself when she gets married, Mariam laughed and viewed her married life as a very difficult one. “I will probably be fighting with my husband all the time!”

Writing this article was a very educational and learning experience for me as well. Life itself is a great teacher. If I knew then what I know now I would not have gone through a lot of pain at a certain period in my life. What I have learnt from women, starting with my great guru—my mother—and many other intelligent and wonderful women, has enriched my life and made it truly worthy of living. The same holds true for women. They can also learn from men or at least try and understand their psyche. That would be a good beginning.
source:www.chowk.com

Did Benazir Bhutto's position help to increase the political power of women?

Referring to South Asia in general, the Indian academic Kamla Bhasin notes that: "When some women do assume important political positions (Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Khaleda Zia), they do so, at least initially, because of their association with some strong male political personalities, and they function within the structures and principles laid down by men"[4].

In the country that concerns us here, Pakistan, the task for Benazir Bhutto was particularly challenging. Drawing on the popularity in many quarters of her late father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, she no doubt enjoyed a certain aura. Nonetheless, the country had been through a lengthy period of dictatorship that had also deeply marked collective attitudes.

Benazir Bhutto’s opponents, proponents of an Islam without concession, could thus try to criticize her entry into political life as being in a sense equivalent to undermining public morality. Moreover, other issues appeared to be of greater urgency at a time when the fabric of society had been torn apart by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Punjab and NWFP, and the ethnic conflict in Karachi opposing the Mohajir community, Muslim migrants from India at the time of independence, to the pre-existing residents of the Sindh as a whole.

A further dimension is related to the long domination exerted by the military over political life, in which the ISI assumed an ever more significant position. Many officers doubtless accepted the return to barracks only very reluctantly. Whatever she might have wanted, Bhutto was not in a position to address the sensitive issue of the position of women during her two periods in power (December 1988-August 1990, October 1993-November 1996).

"Cut off from the everyday experience of the masses by her elevated social status and prolonged stays overseas, one may wonder to which extent Benazir Bhutto was aware of the condition of women in her country."

Cut off from the everyday experience of the masses by her elevated social status and prolonged stays overseas, one may wonder to which extent she was aware of the condition of women in her country. Her reign was sullied by accusations of corruption made against the husband widely considered to manipulate her, Asif Ali Zardari. The couple’s efforts to rebut such charges convinced few.

It is significant that it was during the rule of another general, Pervez Musharraf, who had come to power through a coup d’état that the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance was, if not abrogated, then at least amended. Seeking to restore the international credibility of his country, he cast himself in the role of promoter-in-chief of ‘enlightened moderation’.

source:/www.exploringgeopolitics.org

Women in Pakistan

Woman, a term for respect and honor, implies very different status across classes, regions, and due to uneven socioeconomic development and the impact of tribal, feudal, and capitalist social formations on women's lives. The Pakistani women have better status than most of the other Muslim countries. However, in a male dominated society like Pakistan, women still have restrictions and are violated by men. The violence against women in Pakistan is a major problem. It takes a variety of forms, from domestic abuse and rape to child marriages and female circumcision (“women and violence”). Some females fall prey to violence before they are born, when expectant parents abort their unborn daughters, hoping for sons instead. There are many kinds of violence against women i.e. domestic violence, traditional practices, son preferences, dowry-related violence and early marriage, sexual Harassment.

1. Domestic Violence:

Domestic violence has long been considered a private matter by bystander including neighbors, the community and government, but such private matters have a tendency to become public tragedies. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in the 400 cases of domestic violence reported in 1993 in the province of Punjab, nearly half are ended with the death of the wife.

2. Traditional Practices:

In Pakistan, because of traditional practices, women became victims of cruel practices which violate their rights. These tradition are so deeply rooted that they can be harmful in both physically and psychologically ways. These traditions are transferring from one generation to another, and women are being dominated every year. They cannot raise their voices and cannot say no. There is no solution for these practices unless men have to understand the value of woman and respect their point of view.

3. Preferences for sons:

Son preference affects women significantly in Pakistan. Some women choose to terminate their pregnancies when expecting daughters but carry their pregnancies to term when expecting sons. Mostly people neglect girl child over boy child for basic needs e.g. health and education.

4. Dowry-related violence and early marriage:

In Pakistan, brides’ family has to pay specific amount of money or thing to precede the marriage. If they fail to do pay, it can cause violence. Early marriage, especially without the consent of the girl, is another form of human rights violation. Early marriage followed by multiple pregnancies can affect the health of women for life.

5. Sexual Harassment:

In Pakistan, sexual harassment is more common even on street. The boys touch women, and use slang word. In addition, it is more common on work place. Employers abuse their authority to seek sexual favors from their female co-workers, sometimes promising promotions or other forms of career advancement. But now a day, women are moving forward to report such harassment. (UNDPI) They are aware of self respect, and they can defend themselves. Even though they are moving forward to report this type of cases, society is not cooperating with them. They are not being appreciated for this act. Every one still blames them. Family member scold them for reporting it. They are being told that if someone touches you or disturbs you, you just have to ignore him and stay silent.

Pakistani women not only face many problems about violence, but also in every sector they have to struggle for their rights. For instance, in education sector women especially young girls have to struggle a lot to study. Women face significant inequality in educational attainment as compared to men. According to 1992 survey 22% women and 47% men (who are above age 15) were educated. The situation of women who are living in rural areas is even poorer. Only 11%women are literate in Punjab. The situation is the most critical in NWFP and Baluchistan, where the female literacy rate stands between 3 % and 8%. Poverty is big hurdle in the way of female education. The reason behind this low percentage is the in-equal chances in education for women. The enrollment of the girls is less than the boys at primary, middle and high level. (“Situational analysis of women education”) This situation leads women to ignore study, so they don’t want to join schools. If they do not join schools or universities, they will be uneducated for their entire life. They will not have awareness by which they could teach their children; as a result, whole society will be uneducated. This will have severe effect on the economy and development of Pakistan.

But, Pakistani government never takes women education seriously. It was once implicit that the reason behind low female education was culture, but research conducted by the Ministry for Women's Development and a number of international donor agencies in the 1980s discovered that danger to a woman's honor was parents' most crucial concern (“U.S. Library Congress”).As people are more aware of importance of education by media, the government is taking many steps to improve the women’s education. Political parties and NGOS are working actively to promote women education. Nawaz Shrief, a leader of a political party, introduces 25,000 schools for women and girls. Media is convincing people to send their daughters to schools, but people from villages and town are still confused. (“Aamir latif”) Parents cannot prevent their daughter from study, and they ought to not prefer sons instead of daughters.

For years, the role that a woman played as a citizen, a member of the family or a homemaker has been highly undermined, and today it has turned into a tradition to degrade a woman’s ability. They have to struggle in every field of life for their rights whether its family life or social life. People never let them to be independent. They struggled for independence within an already independent country. However, over the years this circumstance has changed, and women have awareness of their abilities; they know what they can do for their selves, and for other women, they know their stamina and how much and which work they can do, their rights and their status has reached almost all parts of Pakistan, which is an underdeveloped third world country. New young women of Pakistan are more aware of their responsibilities and capabilities. They are more ambitious in every field of life whether its education or politics. Pakistani women who did not know their rights few years ago are now taking part in politics and are fighting for their rights. Begum Mehnaz rafi, a political and social worker, introduce women to politics in Pakistan. Many women who joined the politics are threatened by many people. However, the Pakistan government led by President Pervez Musharraf encourages the women who work in politics (“Women in politics”). Now in Pakistani government, there are reserved seat for women in national assembly and provisional assembly. There are currently 60 women in the National Assembly, and the Senate is 17 seats for women. Almost 22 percent of provincial government leaders and 28 percent of local government leaders are also women. In provincial assemblies 390 from Punjab, 171 from Sindh, 130 from NWFP, and 67 from Baluchistan are representing women of all provinces. (IFES).These seats enable women to think confidently and work for their rights. They can work for other women who suffer from different kinds of violence. They can make community better than before. They are determined to change the status of future women.

Male dominate women in every part of Pakistan whether it is Punjab where some women know about their rights or Sindh where women don’t know their rights at all. Punjab is the largest province of Pakistan according to population. 64% of total Punjab population is living in rural areas. Among those women only 15% women can read and write. The main reason behind this is that the parents don’t want their daughters to study; they think that if they give education to their daughter, it means they are fertilizing their neighbor’s crops. The effects of this thinking are severe e.g. prevalence of many diseases. They don’t know about their health and safety. They are not being told by any one that how they can look after themselves. This is illiteracy about health and safety can cause maternal mortality and infant mortality. This can also permeate many diseases for example HIV/AIDS on larger scale and T.B, malaria, diarrhea on smaller scale. (“U.S. library congress”) .To improves this condition people should corporate with the NGO’s and social worker. They ought to think positively about the education of the women and their rights.

In short, the situation of women in Pakistan is becoming worse and worse every day. They are not thinking about their rights. They don’t know what they can do if someone behave with them badly. They don’t know how brave they are. Now it is their time to take valid steps to upgrade their status. They have to take their rights and use them. They don’t have to listen to society otherwise they will never raise their status and become strong.

source:worldpulse.com

Women's Human Rights in Pakistan-What has changed and how?

f by "recent years" you mean the last few decades, there has been a tremendous change in the situation of women's rights. The whole approach has changed from protection to rights. Earlier, it was that women needed protection. Even the Women's Commission report talked in terms of a division of labour between men and women. The woman was, naturally, given a secondary place in return for a monetary stipend to be protected. There was a different mindset altogether. In the 1980s, a more rights-based approach was taken to the status of women, but it has not gone deep enough. When we talk about how the situation has changed-it has changed in terms of women being more aware of their rights; women taking more opportunities where they have presented themselves; and women asserting themselves in different fields, such as in politics and economics. But as far as the basic unit of the family is concerned, which is where discrimination begins and bogs the woman down her whole life, very little has changed, even on paper.

There have been minor breakthroughs though. And these have been primarily because more women are entering the legal profession, and, more importantly, more women have been willing and able to take the risk of litigation. A woman lawyer can interpret laws from a gender perspective, but you still need a real client who wants to go all out, take the legal risk, and not succumb to pressure and compromise along the way. Many of these breakthroughs have come through case law, where women clients have had to suffer. At times, not even supported by their own families, these women have had to go through prolonged periods of uncertainties, and they have been brandished as brash women who are bucking social norms. It has been a difficult process for these women, and they need to be celebrated.

One example of how these changes have taken place was a legal case very early on with regards to a woman who was contesting an election. However, it died down and the question did not reach the height of legal precedent. That is, until female students in medical colleges challenged the law. Other than being supported by their families, what made it easier for these students was that it was not during the military dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq. Had it been, the case would not have seen the kind of positive response it did from the court. So eventually we did get relief from the Supreme Court and it did uphold Article 25 of the Constitution- "There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone"--which was already on paper was then realised. Following this, there were similar cases challenging discrimination, for example the one that changed the common practise where women were forced to change their domicile according to the domicile of the man she married.

WHRnet: Do you anticipate further changes in the next five years?

AJ: Yes of course, once the ball gets rolling and women begin to not only assert their rights, but they also have women's collectives, where there is thinking going on and where strategies are being planned. However, the existence of these collectives are under threat since they are organized around productive work or services, and this means that they need to be involved in a viable activity in order to continue to exist. For example, women's organizations, like in the past, can't continue to have sewing machine schools, since they will be redundant.

It is now a very competitive playing field for organizations because the resources available to them are shrinking. It is a war of ideas and it is a war of implementing those ideas. Only those collectives that can show results will get the resources.

WHRnet: What strategies have women in Pakistan been using in an effort to bring about equality and human rights for women? What has been effective/ineffective? What factors would you identify as the most important in terms of why and how these strategies have worked?

AJ: I think women have used various strategies to bring about human rights and equality for women. What has been missing, though, in Pakistan is a civil society that works for women's rights. There has never been a comprehensive strategy which is owned by all civil society, which lays out the tools, mechanisms and means we are to adopt.

Everybody has taken a different route. There are those who have tried to fight for women's rights within religious norms. There are others who have tried to make advances within the framework of human rights. And there are those who are not talking about equality but about equity. Their argument is that asking for pure equality, at a time when women are far behind in economic empowerment, would actually disadvantage a number of women. Others argue that economic empowerment can come when the concept of equality is advanced. So this is a classic horse and cart debate going on in Pakistani civil society.

The most effective changes have occurred when women have not depended on government mechanisms alone. Although many breakthroughs for women have come through the court system, if they had depended only on the courts then they would not have been successful. There was a lot of campaigning from the ground up to support these cases. For example, in the case of whether a woman can marry against the wishes of her parents, there was a very dynamic campaign both in the media and on the streets. The issue was being debated in every household and this campaign really caught on. If the courts really wanted to go against the wishes of the women, it would have been as difficult for them as going against the wishes of the ulema (the Muslim religious community).

Earlier, women could not compare their strength to the religious lobby-probably where street power is concerned they still cannot. But women have a single agenda- to advance their rights. The religious lobby, on the other hand, has various agendas and their focus is short lived on these issues. It is sharp, it is very stinging, but then they have to move on. Women stay with the issue and have a wider span of concentration; simply because it is their own survival they are fighting for.

I will give you another example, take custody cases. Again, the clients who fought it through had to bear a lot of criticism, allegations of immorality, of being promiscuous and child abusers. It took a long time, but they persevered. Perhaps it has been the toughest on women who are foreigners. These women came to this country to fight their cases and stayed on for a long time to do so. For example, in 1994 the Uzbek woman who came to fight for, and was eventually granted custody of her children. Her case became a human interest story for people. And because such cases strike a chord with people, courts succumb to the pressure of women. You have to appeal to and win over the kinder side of people rather than the wicked side of people. So that is also one of the strategies.

What has not been effective, as I said earlier, is when women completely depend on state machinery. Take the honour killing law for instance. Prior to drafting the honour killing law, the campaign by NGOs was carried out despite the government, and it became a huge issue in Pakistan. After it got so much attention, some civil society groups entered the campaign and forged a government-civil society partnership for drafting the legislation. Although many civil society groups were not party to it, nonetheless, the result was it was seen as a government-NGO partnership. However, the campaign was eventually unsuccessful in achieving its objectives and one of the main reasons being, many members of civil society involved in drafting the law were not lawyers or were non-practicing lawyers. This was a big mistake. Therefore a lot was left out of the legislation. I believe, non-governmental organizations must only undertake what they are best at doing. If a lawyer writes a report on economic reforms, she could probably give her input but she cannot bring out the end product. It was a pity, because the campaign was very successful to a point but then it dissipated and there was this huge triumphant misconception that we reformed the law. Whereas, nothing was reformed; instead, you've just prolonged the agony of the women being killed.

Strategies also cannot work when you don't have effective and independent state mechanisms. When the judiciary is less independent, you are less effective; when the parliament is not sovereign, you are less effective; and when political parties are not working and are just concerned with their own survival, you are less effective. If your outreach is restricted to a few NGOs, who do not have links to the grassroots, public opinion is not something they can actually form. You have to partner with civil society, such as the press club, the bar association and also the politicians. When these groups are fragmented it becomes very difficult to work, and you become ineffective. That is why, people like us argue, there is a very firm link between human rights and democratic development. You cannot have true freedom of expression or true independence of the judiciary without the democratic process and a democratic set-up.

WHRnet: How can meaningful links be made between local, national, regional and international strategies and mechanisms? And how important is it to establish such links?

AJ: This is a very important question. I think the Pakistani women's movement has been very successful in doing precisely that. And if they had not made those links, particularly during Zia-ul-Haq's regime, they would not have gotten anywhere. They would have been beaten domestically and nobody would have heard of it. It was not until the BBC, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch gave coverage to what was happening to women in the country that did the world's attention actually come towards Pakistan; thereby influencing the decision makers here.

For Pakistan, regional linkages were extremely important for many reasons, of which I would like to elaborate two. One is that we were losing our natural social and cultural alliances and similarities. It was a society that was being Arabized. And when a society is Arabized, there is something artificial about it, yet you can't say what it is. People begin to lose their own indigenous cultures and replace it with elements of a foreign culture, without knowing what they are doing. Pakistan has cultural ties with India, Iran and Afghanistan. These are countries we border and have ethnic, religious and cultural similarities with. We have to bring these regional ties closer to home, so that Arabization of Pakistan becomes diluted.

Let me give you an example. I recently saw a program on CNN where they were showing a madrassa (religious school) in Pakistan and women were sitting there with white hijabs, with only their eyes showing. Now that is not Pakistan's culture. Can anyone show me a photograph from the 70s, 60s, 50s, 40s or anytime, where you had madrassas of this nature and women sat in those white hijabs? This is not our culture. But it is being portrayed as our culture and now has become a foreign fashionable culture. In the 60s, it was jeans. Now it is hijabs! And with it comes a political thinking, a certain ideology--like I am sure there may have been with jeans at that time also. With this, however, there is not only a certain ideology, but also membership to an organized club of women who are then manipulated.

There is another reason it is important to have regional links and keep each other informed and involved. It seems as if every country in the region wants to compete with each other in their worst record rather than with their best record. So if Maldives, for example, can ban people of all religions except Islam from being nationals, one day we in Pakistan will be given the example of Maldives. Just like now Nepal is constantly given the example of Pakistan, that if the army can rule there it can rule in Nepal. We have to make more partnerships in the region and expose people from different countries in the region to each other, so that there is a common feeling of where we should be heading.

Even in terms of development of law, if we take regional precedents that can be very helpful. If there is a breakthrough case in India, we use it here in Pakistan. If there is a breakthrough here, it is used in Bangladesh. We should also learn from each other's good practices as well.

WHRnet: How can governments and private actors be held to account for their actions?

AJ: International human rights activists are increasingly looking at non-state actors, particularly in terms of denial of religious freedoms and violence against women. Violence against women is, for the most part, perpetuated by non-state actors. But there is an obligation on the state to ensure that impunity is not given to those non-state actors, and therefore it becomes very important to bring the state into it. The state may not itself be discriminating against women but when it knows that there is no equality of women in cultural or social terms, the state is obliged to take, what we call, affirmative action. This is also known as the positive obligation of the state, and is particularly pertinent in cases of violence against women, but also in other areas like denial of religious freedoms, rights of children and indigenous people. It is also important regarding sexual minorities. There have been cases were law enforcement agencies have threatened and tortured people because of their sexual orientation. However, there is also social discrimination against them which the state may not be involved in but by its inaction the state in a way tolerates it. So if the state tolerates the abuse, it can be held responsible because it is indirectly linked to state attitudes.

WHRnet: What tools or resources would be most useful to women in Pakistan in terms of translating "human rights on paper" into tangible, positive change in the lives of women?

AJ: I think what is more useful than tools and resources, is for women to draw out a blueprint of how they can work towards making human rights on paper more tangible and positive. If by tools you mean what are the various ways that they can do this then one tool can be through the press. This means that more people who believe in women's rights and human's rights have to be cultivated in the press. Half the battle is being won or lost in the media.

Electronic media today is also extremely important, not only in Pakistan but the world over. Women have to be very clear that they have to use all the tools currently in vogue. For example, the Internet is one of the new technologies people are using. Rather than staying with the old method of having posters-which nobody sees-women, today, have to think like multinational companies and use all those tools that multinational companies use.

Yes it is true, when we are talking of technology, large parts of our countries may not have that kind of technology and therefore we cannot rely only on modern methods. We have to use other tools as well. I think the use of culture is a very effective way of promoting the rights of women. We have seen that street theatre has got women, not just women but communities, to debate and reflect. Changing the mindset is the most difficult thing. It is unfortunate that we do not have a good theater/cinema culture in Pakistan. For example, many of the films on women's rights made in India are very popular in the paralegal centers we have in Lahore. More people come to the centers to watch these films than anything else, and they have a very wholesome debate after each film. So if portrayed in an emotional and sensitive manner, I think it is effective.

Another tool that women have not used in our country, which I think is a mistake, is influencing young people in educational institutions. We have worked with trade unions and perhaps have even made inroads in the upper echelons of society, but not with the younger generation in the colleges and schools, which is perhaps 40% of the entire population.

We also need to engage more professional women, for example, in the airline industry, the nursing profession, women in the film industry. These are all very important spokespeople for the cause of women's rights.

I believe there is much more women's organizations and human rights organizations can do in Pakistan. If you listen to many of the FM radio stations in the country, many of them are religious based. We need to counter that and when the opportunity presents itself, we need to use the Radio as one of our tools. Also, a lot of women feel that they can promote women's rights through religious teaching and a reinterpretation of religions. I do not know how much success they have had, but that is another strategy people are using.

I think when you are talking of the "gains on paper" being translated into tangible and positive changes, there have been some-because, frankly, if you give women rights or protection on paper, and if they are victimized then they have to use them. So for example, the gains that we made in family laws, women have no choice but to use them and they thus become tangible gains. We did not have interim maintenance for children or wives earlier, but we have it now and there are a lot of women availing of it. Also in terms of local body elections, when the opportunity was given, you had women contesting from everywhere. And, at that time, I remember almost every political party said 'we will not have so many women contesting', but we had no dearth of women candidates. So I think gains on paper have made tangible changes in the lives of women.

Over the years, you will see, that when our courts have been independent-I would not say absolutely independent, but more independent-there is more liberal jurisprudence coming out of the courts. In each of those periods you will find important precedents where women have taken the opportunity and gotten tangible results. I think women could get more tangible results, in say bringing about changes to the labour law. They have not been able to do that. But then again, trade unions are banned. Unless you have freedom of association you cannot really effectively assert you rights.

source:www.awid.or

Pakistani Teacher Education and Professional Development Program (PTEPDP)

This Task Order supports the improvement of teacher training in mathematics, science and English language at the primary school level in Pakistan over a period of three years (July 2003 through June 2006). This is carried out by (1) arranging certificate courses for as many as 250 teacher trainers; (2) providing opportunities for leadership and professional development; (3) establishing linkages between teacher training institutions in the U.S. and in Pakistan; and (4) implementing in-country activities to support use of the U.S. training, the development of linkages, and the sharing of newly gained skills among colleagues. Another important objective of this effort is to increase cross-cultural understanding between Americans and Pakistanis and engender increased good-will between the two countries.

The quality of learning and competency level of both students and teachers in Pakistan is among the poorest in the region. One of the reasons is the low level of educational qualifications required to become a primary school teacher. Another is the quality of teacher certification programs, which suffers from the lack of adequately trained trainers, little emphasis on teaching practice and non-existence of proper support/monitoring system for teachers.

The overall objective of PTEPDP is to increase the base of skilled, high performing Pakistani school administrators and teachers in the teaching of mathematics, science and English as a second language, and to promote cultural understanding between the US and Pakistan. These professional development programs will be customized to reflect needs identified as critical to Pakistani educators.

Since July 2003, AED has continued working on a three-year award from USAID/Pakistan to implement the full range of technical and administrative services required to increase the skills of Pakistani primary school teacher educators of math, science, and English as a Second Language (ESL). The Pakistan Teacher Education and Professional Development Program (PTEPDP) also aims to promote cultural understanding between the U.S. and Pakistan.

Pakistani teacher educators have completed their certificate programs of study in the U.S. These have included 21 Pakistani administrators of teacher training institutions and 25 science teacher educators, who completed their programs at the University of Montana.


An additional 14 ESL teacher trainers completed their training at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. All three delegations were provided an opportunity to join such professional membership organizations in the U.S. as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and the National Science Teachers* Association (NSTA). All participants were also provided laptop computers to take back to their home institutions. Another integral part of all certificate programs are visits to local schools where participants can observe firsthand their American counterparts. These visits are typically enjoyed very much by the delegates, and provide an opportunity for them to learn more about the American school system and to also meet with key school administrators and selected teachers.

At present, another 49 Pakistani teacher educators are being trained in the U.S. AED has recently added a third academic partner - Oregon State University, which welcomed its first group of 13 Pakistani science teacher trainers to the Corvallis campus on September 17. The University of Montana is currently conducting training for 15 ESL teacher trainers, and George Mason University is hosting 21 math educators.

USAID and AED anticipate that between 225 and 250 Pakistani educators will travel to the United States to complete certificate programs over the life of the contract. It is envisioned that at least half of all the participants will come from the disadvantaged regions of Balochistan and Sindh and at least half of the delegates will be women. The project also includes plans for incountry workshops and seminars, as well as university linkages and partnership activities such as faculty exchanges and joint curriculum development projects. The first major National Teacher Training Conference is being planned for December, 2004, in Islamabad. It is anticipated that this conference will provide an opportunity for discussing and understanding the problems, needs, interventions, and status of teacher education in Pakistan. AED manages and implements this project from our offices in Washington, DC and Islamabad, and has liaison staff in Quetta and Karachi.

First major National Teacher Training Conference took place on 20-22 December, 2004 in Islamabad. The Conference, attended by over 250 people (including 75 alumni from the past PTEPDP training programs), included numerous panels and provided an excellent opportunity for discussing and understanding the problems, needs, interventions and status of teacher education in Pakistan. As part of the project, Dr. Jack Levy, professor from George Mason University and coordinator of the training program, who made a presentation on Teacher Education Standards and Their Role in Education Reform and Dr. Michael Dalton, professor from the Oregon State University, who delivered a presentation on Innovations in Teacher Preparation: The Education Double Degree, as well as by Project Manager David Seider, who coordinated conference panels on participants* Action Plans implementation. The first Quarterly Newsletter designed as a form of alumni networking and information sharing was also released in December and made available to all conference attendees.

AED has implemented a three-year USAID-funded project to improve the skills of Pakistani primary school teacher educators of Math, Science, and English as a Second Language (ESL). The Pakistan Teacher Education and Professional Development Program (PTEPDP) also promotes cultural understanding between the US and Pakistan.

Pakistani teacher educators have completed their certificate programs of study in the US. All of the participants were provided an opportunity to join US professional membership organizations, including the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), the National Science Teachers* Association (NSTA), and the National Council of Teachers* of Mathematics (NCTM), among others. Each participant also received a laptop computer to take back to their home institutions.

An additional 63 Pakistani teacher educators traveled to the US to begin their training in three US universities: George Mason University is hosting a group of 21 math educators; Oregon State University - a group of 20 Pakistani ESL teacher trainers; and the University of Montana - 22 science teacher trainers. These partner institutions have assembled an excellent multicultural faculty to teach and coordinate activities for the group. In addition to exposing the participants to updated teacher training methodologies and the latest techniques and concepts in subject instruction and curriculum development, the program provides the participants with opportunities to take part in field visits to US schools, academic exchanges, and significant cross-cultural activities. The visits to US schools have been a favorite activity of the Pakistani teacher trainers, as the visits provide the opportunity for the delegation to learn more about the US school system and meet with key school administrators, teachers, and students.

In addition to the US training, the Pakistan Teacher Education and Professional Development Program includes substantial in-country programming, faculty exchanges, and joint curriculum development projects. In December 2004, AED also organized the first major National Teacher Training Conference for over 250 policymakers, teacher educators, education experts, heads of teacher training/education colleges in the public sector, senior federal and provincial government officials, and representatives of well-known private sector teacher training institutions, NGOs and major donors in Pakistan.

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) was awarded a three-year contract by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under its Strategic Technical Assistance for Results through Training (START) Program to implement programs aimed at providing Pakistani educators with the knowledge, training, and infrastructure necessary to develop high quality education programs for girls and boys throughout Pakistan.

172 Pakistani teacher educators have completed their certificate programs of study in the US. All of the participants were provided an opportunity to join US professional membership organizations, including the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), the National Science Teachers* Association (NSTA), and the National Council of Teachers* of Mathematics (NCTM), among others. Each participant also received a laptop computer to take back to their home institutions.

The project also includes plans for in-country workshops and seminars, as well as university linkages and partnership activities such as faculty exchanges and joint curriculum development projects. The new stage of the Program focuses on in-country training of an increased number of master teacher trainers, while continuing to build the capacity of Pakistani teacher training institutions and facilitating long-range linkages between US teacher training institutions and their counterparts in Pakistan.

source:www.aed.org

Institute for Educational Development, PakistanIt focused on the ‘Role of Higher Education Institutions in Promoting Research and Scholarship Culture:

t focused on the ‘Role of Higher Education Institutions in Promoting Research and Scholarship Culture: Achievements, Challenges, and Future Directions'. The seminar aimed at engaging key stakeholders of the higher education institutions in critical dialogues on promoting research and scholarship culture in higher education institutions in Pakistan . Around 40 faculty members and students of various departments of Peshawar University participated in the seminar. While presenting a critical review of existing practices of teaching and research in the developing countries, Dr Memon emphasised the need to produce indigenous knowledge, which can help the developing countries to become knowledge societies for contributing towards knowledge economy. Higher education institutions can play an active role in transforming societies by emphasizing intellectual engagement of their faculty and students in critical issues of innovation, development and dissemination. He felt that there is a strong need for the Higher Education Institutions to shift their research agendas from mono-disciplinary to multi and interdisciplinary research and learning processes. Ms Zubeda Bana, the Project Coordinator, also participated in the seminar.

The seminar audience also raised many pertinent issues, such as issue of relevance of knowledge, pluralistic society, management of research, role of leadership in supporting research and role of HEC in promoting research culture in the institutions. The participants appreciated Alvin Toffler's wisdom (1928) that ‘The illiterates of the 21 st century will not be those who can't read and write, but those who can't learn, unlearn, and relearn'.

source:www.aku.edu