Rewarding the misogynists

A broad cross-section of people has strongly condemned recent appointments of Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Israrullah Zehri as ministers by the "so-called people's government". In a letter to a newspaper, they described these appointments as "a slap in the face of every Pakistani who is against honour killings and Vanni", and demanded immediate cancellation of these appointments.
The writers include lawyers, teachers, journalists, doctors, civil society activists and students. The column carrying this protest also published a letter from a concerned Pakistani in the United States over the appointment of Bijarani who, as a member of the Jirga, had ordered handing over five minor girls to settle a 'Karo-Kari' feud, and in the process earned suo moto notice by deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to arrest all 11 members of the Jirga. "So now, a Vanni supporter and allegedly the member of an illegal Jirga will be in charge of educating our next generation. So much for the PPP's support for women rights causes", the letter concludes.
If it is not preposterous enough that a Vanni supporter should get education ministry, consider the severity of political bankruptcy that a new ministry - Ministry of Postal Services - had to be created to reward a misogynist. Add to this the recent cabinet approval of a Bill to eliminate harassment at workplaces and you come across a cruel joke and may know what is double-speak. That a government founded on the hard work and extreme sacrifice of a woman, Benazir Bhutto, should display its anti-woman credentials so flagrantly, it is unbelievable but this is what has just now happened in Pakistan.
Israrullah Zehri had the audacity to stand up on the floor of the Senate and justify burying alive three teenage girls and two women in the name of honouring a 'tribal custom' - to the bewilderment of many of his colleagues, but not the chair. A fellow Baloch, acting Chairman of Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali, had just smiled, as if in acquiescence of what a powerful Sardar from his province claimed, and advised the mover of the matter, Yasmin Shah, to go to Balochistan to familiarise herself with Baloch customs. But neither did she accept his advice, nor did Maulana Ghafoor Haidri, a JUI (F) senator from Balochistan, endorse Jamali's perception.
What do we make of this political expediency? The People's Party has never tired of raising its voice for women empowerment. But now that it got the chance to do so it is dragging its feet. Political considerations seem to be weighing heavy with its policies and plans. It seems to be condoning violence against women to keep itself in power. That is tragic, especially now that the weaker sex of Pakistan needs extra protection and patronage. Instead of bailing out criminals, the parliamentarians should be legislating to increase the political and economic clout of women in Pakistan.
They should be working overtime to outlaw archaic customs, inhuman practices like Vanni and Karo-Kari Jirgas. And, they should be venturing out in Swat to put out fires that are consuming girls' schools. But that is not to be. Far from expecting the PPP-led government to deliver on its promises of women empowerment, one finds it turning a blind eye to violence against women. We expect the coalition leadership to learn something from one of its own coalition partners: ANP. Some years ago when Ajmal Khattak, a stalwart of ANP and generally considered its moral compass, defended the murder of a woman by her father in the name of honour killing on the floor of the senate, his party immediately disowned his statement and soon after showed him the door out of the party hierarchy.