Women’s rights Archive

Kashf Foundation: Making the impossible possible – by Kalsoom Lakhani: In 1996, the Kashf Foundation became Pakistan’s first microfinance institution, empowering both women and families in an attempt to replicate the Grameen Bank model. Today, 14 years later, Kashf has 152 branches nationwide, boasts 305,938 supported families, and operates
Insaf – Zehra Nigah: انصاف (اُس اندھی لڑکی کے نام جسے حدود میں سزا سنائ گئ تھی) مَیں اِس چھوٹے سے کمرے میں آزاد بھی ہوں، اور قید بھی ہوں اِس کمرے میں اک کھڑکی ہے جو چھت کے برابر اونچی ہے جب
Target killing of Professor Nazima Talib Mehdi: Shame on BLA terrorists. Where are your Baloch traditions?: Only a few days ago, the LUBP published a detailed account of target killings of intellectuals, bureaucrats, security personnel, educationists, politicians, particularly of non-Baloch origin, by terrorists of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other sectarian/jihadi groups. Today is a
The Pakistani woman’s crusade against the system: By Sadef A. Kully Thursday, 15 Apr, 2010 KARACHI: Although, it has been twenty something odd years since Dr. Kauser Saeed Khan has been participating in and witnessing women protest for equal rights, there still seems to be some
Peace, prosperity and progress for tribal people — by Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed: What is utterly disgraceful is the fact that women have been effectively and comprehensively denied their right to education by both commission and omission. Nowhere is this fact more glaringly manifest than in FATA My recent discussion of tribal
The Swat flogging video — by Samar Minallah: At a time when the entire country was under the threat of militants, I not only brought the attention of the country to this video but also condemned it at the risk of my own life. Much to the
This is what “Men at Their Best” do the best!: Arrested woman alleges being raped by Rangers * Uzma was caught carrying liquor at a picket near the Pak-India border * Medical examiner refusing to disclose whether Uzma was raped or not * Rangers SP claims woman was in
Whither “Progressive” Bacha Khan’s Wife? – by Yasser Latif Hamdani: Cross posted from Pak Tea House “If political consciousness is awakened amongst our women, remember, your children will not have much to worry about.” Founding Father of Pakistan, Mr. Mahomed Ali Jinnah, Lahore, March 22, 1940 The title? No
647 women killed in the name of ‘honour’ last year: HRCP report: * HRCP report says 3,021 people killed, 7,334 injured across country * 1,668 suicide cases reported ISLAMABAD: The 2009 report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) released on Monday revealed that there was a sharp surge in
‘Burka’ and intellectual terrorism – by Awais Masood: In an article published in the January 2009 edition of Newsline, prominent Pakistani academic, scientist and social activist Pervez Hoodbhoy outlined the root causes of religious extremism in Pakistan and while doing so pointed out towards deliberate attempts of
Dr Farhat Hashmi: Cultivating Al Qaeda in Muslim women: Biography Dr Farhat Hashmi, daughter of the (late) scholar Abdur Rehman Hashmi, is a mother of four, and comes from the Indo-pak subcontinent. She received her Ph.D. in Hadith Sciences from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Al-Huda International Welfare
Towards women’s empowerment – by Farahnaz Ispahani: The touchstone of the morality of a nation or a society is the way it treats its women. Women are a vital segment of any society. Without their unhindered participation in all spheres of national life, no nation can
Mai Jori – by Harris Khalique: In recent by-elections in PB-25 constituency of Jafferabad (Balochistan), PPP’s Nasir Khan Jamali won by a large margin. This area is a Jamali stronghold and tribal affiliations are the determining factor in electoral victory in Balochistan. However, the most
President Zardari signs historic Women’s Rights Bill: Thanks: New Pakistan The Americans do not have a monopoly on freedom and protection for women. This is the message from yesterday’s historic event in Islamabad where President Zardari signed the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Billensuring equal
A tale of two Pakistani girls which remains hidden in other more important news: Here are two news items (which remain hidden in the more important headlines) from today’s newspapers. These news items once again reveal the typically hypocritical, class- and religion-centric and misogynistic nature of Pakistani society. The first story is about
Pakistan women: Rights without rights – by Dr Farzana Bari: Rights without rights The UN theme this year for Women’s International Day was “Equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all.” One wonders how to commemorate the day around the theme when rights and opportunities are simply disappearing from the
Adolescent girls’ plight in Pakistan — by Mehr Qureshi: There is no specific provision on incest in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and police, prosecutors and judges often have dismissive and condemning attitudes towards the victims Today is International Women’s Day. This day is a global celebration of
Sky is the limit for Pakistan’s women fighter pilots: In a country where extended family is important and most middle-class women rely on servants for household work and child-minding, Ambreen and Nadia may be saved some of the problems faced by women in the West. —AFP Photo ISLAMABAD:
Wahhabism and women: Saudi woman jailed for being without male guardian RIYADH: A Saudi woman is to be lashed 300 times and jailed for 18 months for filing complaints against court officials and appearing in court without a male guardian, a human
Women in Afghanistan: A tale of Afghan women’s plight —by Miranda Husain The Patience Stone By Atiq Rahimi Other Press; Pp 160 Afghanistan, a nation still on fire, a nation still home to a centre-stage Taliban. An entity that still remains resoundingly
Oppressed Mindset: Recently Punjab opposition MP Samina Khawar Hayat gave a disturbing statement while speaking on the issue of rising number of single women in the country who are in their 30’s. She gave the bizarre idea of encouraging married men
Today we wear our religion on our sleeves and shout it from the housetops. – by Ayaz Amir: The misery on our faces Times may be hard but why add to the sum of national misery? Some of our afflictions, like the economic downturn and the war raging along the Afghan frontier, may be beyond anyone’s control.
Peace Carvan: A journey for peace – by Shujuaddin Qureshi: It was an unusual gathering at Karachi’s Cantt railway station, where over 100 people from civil society organisations, intellectuals, political and trade union workers, and journalists had gathered for a peaceful cause. Sixty of those gathered, including more than
Shame on political parties, especially our own PPP: Women’s disenfranchisement Election observers have reported that thousands of women from Lakki Marwat were denied their right to vote during Wednesday’s by-election for PF-75, which was also marked by procedural irregularities and illegal campaigning. Having visited the majority of
We are proud of you, Naseem Hameed, South Asia’s fastest woman: Pakistan’s Naseem Hameed has created history by becoming the fastest woman of the region when she won the 100-metre sprint gold medal at the South Asian Games. Daughter of Pakistan The 22-year-old from Karachi clocked 11.81seconds, 0.12seconds ahead of
From Maududi to Aafia – by Nadeem F. Paracha: She’s being called the “daughter of the nation” who needs to be rescued from the fanged jaws of the Americans. Her name is Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. Pakistani TV channels and drawing-rooms are buzzing with talk of this gallant woman
At Afghan women’s cost – by Sahar Saba: The US attempts to broker a deal with the Taliban have neither surprised nor upset Afghan women. The Afghan woman is not like naive liberals across the world who are deeply frustrated over this US betrayal. The liberals had
Meena’s life among the Taliban: Bombs and beatings: Life among the Taliban In Pakistan an account of life with the Taliban has emerged from a 13-year-old girl called Meena, who says her own family tried to turn her into a suicide bomber. Meena told
What is it to be a ‘true’ Pakistani? — by Zaair Hussain: The new Pakistani In a country where a Senator has stood before the House and declared, with a gall that must surely have blotted out the sun, that the respectable tradition of burying women alive should not be unduly
Shazia’s death and the shameful role of the lawyer fraternity: The torture and slaughter of Shazia, a 12-year-old maid, in DHA, Lahore has caused a stir. Here are a few reports which suggest that: 1. Domestic servants in Pakistan, house maids in particular, remain vulunerable and subject to physical, emotional
Anti-women Islamofascist mullahs win again!: Senate defers bill on women’s rights at workplace Wednesday, January 20, 2010 By Muhammad Anis ISLAMABAD: The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2009, which was moved in the Senate on Tuesday, was deferred as senators from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the
Women police station opened in Karachi: KARACHI: The first independent women police station with a 24-hour helpline ‘1213’ established at the Saddar police station was inaugurated by National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza on Thursday. Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Information Minister Shazia Marri,
Do you know where God lives? A real story from Phoolnagar!: Do you know where God lives. God lives in that old cottage which provided the jhugga (shirt) to the women undressed by the religion / morality brigade in Phoolnagar. Do you know where the devil lives? Go no further
Victoreous Talibans establish Marriage Bureau in Swat !!: سوات میں طالبان کا ’شادی مرکز‘ عبدالحئی کاکٹر صوبہ سرحد کے ضلع سوات میں طالبان نے رشتے کروانے کے لیے ’شعبہ عروسات‘ کے نام سے ایک الگ شعبہ قائم کردیا ہے اور طالبان کے مطابق ان کی فہرست میں
Taliban kill two women in Kohat: Is it the kind of Shariah which Imran Khan is promising this nation? PESHAWAR: The Taliban on Friday killed two burqa-clad women in Kohat district and dumped the bodies by a roadside, officials said. It was not immediately clear
Can an honourable Pakhtun do that? Imran Khan, better answer.: Militants kill three women in Swat By Our Correspondent MINGORA: Three women were killed in Swat on Thursday as Taliban continued their attack on people they consider to be pro-government. The militants also blew up two government schools. The
Curbs on women in militancy-hit areas spreading to Quetta: Curbs on women in militancy (or Talibani Shariat) hit areas spreading to Quetta By Malik Siraj Akbar QUETTA: An increasing number of restaurants in Quetta have stopped serving women apparently after being pressured by religious elements, and
Story of Shabana from Swat: a wedding dancer killed by the Taliban style shariat: Side-effect Shabana from Swat Friday, January 23, 2009 by Harris Khalique Shabana, the artiste from Swat who used to sing and dance to earn her living and make people merry on weddings and other such occasions, was shot in
UN condemns Pakistan school attacks: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:17:04 GMT A UN special representative condemns the increasing attacks on schools in northwestern Pakistan by Taliban and other armed groups. In a statement issued in New York, Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN secretary general’s special
Urgent Appeal: Sign this Petition to Save Girls Schools in Swat: ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-005-2009 The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) seeks for your support for a campaign in support of the female students in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The campaign seeks the