Mukhtaran Mai and the pro-rape judicial brigade – by Dilshad Chandio

Now I will appeal to Allah, says Mukhtaran Mai

Source: The News, April 21, 2011

MULTAN: Mukhtaran Mai, a victim of gang rape, expressing her distress over the Supreme Court verdict said now she would take recourse to Allah’s court only.

SC on Thursday upheld the verdict of Lahore High Court (LHC) in Mukhtaran Mai case. Voicing distrust on the verdict, Mukhtaran Mai said she has lost confidence in judicial system; now it is Allah Who she would appeal to. She said her life was at jeopardy after the acquittal of the accused.

Will the CFD (Citizens for Martial Law) and other FCS (Fake Civil Society) organizations do a demo or a vigil against the pro rape judiciary or is their reserved exclusively against Zardari and other elected politicians?

Since Aitzaz Ahsan Chaudhry was the lawyer of Mukthara Mai and the ‘azad’ (now pro rape) judiciary (CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry) can do no wrong, can a lawyer friend tell us if Aitzaz did not prepare the case properly or worse, did not raise questions of law appropriately?

I won’t be surprised that the populist CJ of the pro-rape judicial brigade forms a larger bench and reverses the judgement under media pressure. These democracy rapists cannot live without the oxygen of mainstream media.

CFD may have some good people – even the PPP Karachi group is active in it but by and large dominated by pseudo leftists who had no issue with supporting and working with Musharraf. Fahim Zaman, one of the main CFD characters proudly announced at the Faiz Mela that he was mayor of Karachi appointed by Musharraf (earlier he was made mayor by BB). He was also fulminated against politicians and parliamentarians at the Shahbaz Bhatti reference. There would be no problem if they did good things but did not call themselves ‘Citizens for Democracy’. Since they do we should hold them accountable to it

Also, it is interesting to observe the nature and range of apologies for the right wing migonyist judiciary by the FCS and right wing apologists. ‘Shrill anger’ when abusing the democratic government is kosher but here we have to ‘understand the constraints ‘of the crimimal justice system. I ask these apologists to come out of the closet and tell us where you stand? Apart from Bhutto’s murder (for which they can blame their predecessors in robes while cleansing themselves through the right wing inspired judicial movement in Karachi and Punjab) do they agree or disagree with the court removing NAB chairmen, FIA personell, IGs and DIGs for not presenting evidence appropriately in the Hajj, NICL and NRO related cases. Why should these stringent standards not apply to a poor woman?

Obviously Aitzaz Ahsan has a lot to answer … is this the ‘maa ke jaisi riasat’ he was talking about and is complicit in creating? The following clip tells us why Pakistan’s pseudo left and pseudo liberals have failed with the masses as they cannot even be honest to themselves. What revolution and cries and justice is this twit talking about?

Dunia ki tareekh gawah hai – by Aitzaz Ahsan

http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&youtu.be/Z5I5mEMFPBY

…………

Press Release
National Commission on the Status of Women

Islamabad

Date: – 21-04-2011

Subject: – NCSW and members of IHI disappointed at the verdict of Supreme Court in Mukhtaran Mai case

The National Commission on the Status of Women and members of Insani Huqooq Ittehad, including PODA, Women’s Action Forum, Mehergargh, Aurat Foundation, Rozan, Sungi, Bedari, Ethno Media, Pattan and SPO convened an emergency meeting to express deep shock and disappointment at the verdict given by the superior court in the Mukhtara Mai gang rape case today. Although the judgment did prove that Mukhtara was raped because one accused did get life imprisonment, while others were acquitted; we are surprised to see why only one accused was punished and others were acquitted when it was a case of ‘gang rape’.

The Commission and members of civil society felt that the entire legal process was a reflection of a biased and inefficient criminal justice system. This case has been a classic example of how the facts were distorted and documentation of the evidence was tampered with at all levels.

The group expressed concern at the long delays to dispense justice. The victim was raped in 2002 on the instructions of the local Panchayat. In 2005 the Chief Justice of the superior court took suo moto notice of the case. Despite the intervention it took more than nine years to come up with this decision, which is a source of concern for the women of Pakistan. It is feared that this decision might further strengthen the anti women parallel legal and judicial systems and mechanisms in the country. We feel that the criminal justice system too is not pro women and is patriarchal in nature. Impunity seems to be the order of the day.

In cases of complaints women victims are burdened to provide a series of evidences which is not possible for them. It is the responsibility of the police to do the investigation and come up with the requisite evidence. Currently, methods of recording evidence by police are biased against women; and that is one reason why they do not get justice from the courts. Cases that are registered reflect faulty investigation by the police and loopholes are left, perhaps intentionally, to be exploited by the power brokers.

There is also an urgent need to look at the issue of representation of women in all systems and mechanisms dealing with matters of crimes and justice. The absence of women in the lower and upper judiciary is paving the way for verdicts against women victims, and there is a dire need to start a rational discourse on the lack of women’s representation within the courts.

Today’s judgment has shaken the confidence and sense of security of women in Pakistan to stand up for their rights. The outcome of the Mukhtara case discourages survivors of rape and gang rape to report these crines. However, we are proud of Mukhtara Mai, who stood bravely against all intimidation and harassment and has refused to buckle under life threats. She has given a message of courage and hope to all women victims of the country, and we consider her a role model for the women of Pakistan.

Finally, we also condemn the insensitive and chauvinistic attitude of some sections of the media, who were showing their approval of the verdict by grinning and clapping after they recorded the responses on the judgment. The owners and editors of these media houses are urged to inculcate a sense of responsibility in their representatives when covering sensitive women’s rights issues.

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