MULTAN: A teenage girl was gang-raped in central Pakistan last month as “punishment” meted out by a tribal jury for her brother’s alleged affair with a woman of a higher tribe, police said on Monday. A Panchayat ordered four men, including one of the jurists, to rape the 18-year-old girl on June 22 in the village of Meerwala, 120 kilometres southwest of here, police said.
District police chief Malik Saeed Awan said that the authorities were informed of the publicly ordered gang-rape several days after the incident. He said that four men took turns to sexually assault the girl inside a room. She was then ordered to return home naked before 1,000 onlookers.
The rape was to avenge the “insult” caused to a family of the Mastoi tribe by the girl’s brother’s alleged “illicit affair” with a woman of a higher social standing. The girl and her brother were from the lower Gujjar tribe.
The Panchayat had threatened that all women in the accused’s family would be raped unless the 18-year-old submitted herself to the public gang-rape. Awan said that police were taking action against members of the Panchayat. Lawyers visiting the tribal area on Sunday urged the authorities to prosecute the rapists and the jury.
[quote]
You are twisting things now. I didn’t say financially, I said in honor, in dignity and in respect. Of course the poor will be treated differently. In my own family and friends the less fortunate are treated differently, but that doesn’t mean that they are from a different lineage, different caste. Power wise a Malik is stronger then the beggar, but in honor they are the same, that was the point I was making. No human is lower or higher then the other, but of course the poor will be treated poorly and the rich will be treated highly. I know some people, who happen to be from lower cast and very wealthy, but still can’t marry someone from a higher cast. This issue has been brought up on this forum also by very educated and fortunate people. In one case a guy was asking why he couldn’t marry a Jatt girl.
[/quote]
Yameen, let me get it straight. You are saying that generally speaking in NWFP a Malik can marry a beggar off the street without any problem but in Punjab & Sindh he/she cannot due to caste? I doubt it seriously.
Your other observation is true that sometimes, usually in uneducated rural areas, caste does come up when marriages are arranged. This doesn't mean that others parts of the world are better just because they differentiate not on caste but on class.
Classes & Castes have very little difference & they both are condemnable in all there manifestations! Caste cannot be changed, class can but 90% of the people never are able to make that change.
[This message has been edited by ahmadjee (edited July 08, 2002).]
I’m not saying anything; I’m just questioning what I have been reading.
In NWFP a Malik can marry a beggar, but she will have the same honorable value as any other woman of the tribe, because there is no such thing as caste. All of them are alike (I’m talking about Pashtoons here). Now, if a lower caste girl marries a Malik in Punjab, will she be held as high in honor as the other woman of the household? I doubt that seriously. Of course, if the beggar is from the same caste, she might not have any problems. You get the point don’t you?
Now, not only in uneducated rural areas but most of the time in educated people this thing has been brought up and comes up. Like I said, educated and fortunate people on this very website have brought up the issue again and again. Though I never thought it is this deep, even when my own Punjabi Christian friends told me of their encounters.
And the difference between caste and class, well you answered that yourself. Caste can not be changed, but class can and has been changed.
The caste system is much stronger in those areas of Sindh and Punjab where feudalism exists, while it is considerably less so in Pashtun areas, because the Tribal/Jirga system forced a level of equality. I suppose it has to do with the background, Pashtuns did not convert from hinduism, they were most probably Buddhist or as some say Jewish and converted far earlier, so caste was never carried over after they embraced Islam.
In fact areas where hindu influence was strongest amongst Pashtuns like in Swat, there was a caste system similair to what exists in Punjab till quite recently.
~Sehar~ Don't mean to pick on you but you say things much more clearly than others. So what happens to all the kids growing up in the west who are given the notion that they may only merry in their caste and by caste i mean it they way you stated it, for family purpose only. Than what happens, lets say you were in the shoes of a girl wanting to marry someone other than in her caste, what happens than or does the caste system you imply not carry such an extreme that you have to be so selective.
Different - with all due respect - how can an 11 year old boy who hasn’t reached puberty yet have an affair with a woman who is much older than him?
girl’s brother’s alleged “illicit affair” with a woman of a higher social standing.
This qoute is from the article you posted - notice the word ALLEGED.
Also, furthermore understand this - in Islam - to accuse two people of having an affair - one must have FOUR witnesses who actually see the sex taking place.
A few people seeing a young boy and an older woman walk together unchaperoned (heh) - does not qualify as an affair. Notice the article did not say that anyone came forward with evidence that they SAW sexual intercourse taking place.
Need I say more?
I still maintain, that since there is no concrete evidence of an affair, there was none that took place.
Oh and by the way o religious one, dont you know that it is a BIG SIN to accuse someone of having an affair when you dont know for certain?
And you assumed they were having an affair through and article - you weren’t even present there that day in that village.
I requested you to re-read my response, along with all the other posts on this thread!
You are the one who is assuming things… I’ll point at the mistake that you are making… The girl that I have referred to in my post, is not the one who was gang-raped, and I did not refer to her parents or anything, I was referring to the other girl that belonged to the “Mastoi” tribe…!
The main issue in discussion is not whether the younger boy had an affair with the older girl or not, the issue is that an innocent girl was gang-raped, to avenge the honor of the “Mastoi” tribe…!
I don’t understand why are you unnecessarily picking on me, while you yourself have misunderstood what I wrote..!
I am not supporting what the “Mastoi’s” did! I can’t find easier words to get the message through to you…!
Different:
i think u misunderstood me. i will try to present a more detailed version of what i said earlier..
here is what i said:
[quote]
Originally posted by heart beat:
*as far as the recent incident goes.. i think the *"caste" issue was brought in just to make the article more colourful(or an excuse)..
**
[/quote]
and in reply to which u said..
[quote]
Originally posted by Different:
** Do you think that if the Gujjar's were as powerful as the Mastoi's are, the teenaged girl would have been suffering like this?**
[/quote]
notice any similarities b/w the two? note the word "powerful" in ur post. now REGARDLESS of their CASTE this happened cause' the girl's(who suffered) family was not *powerful*enough (compared to other family) to speak up for their rights.
it might be possible that in another village, its the other way around i.e Gujjar family is more powerful then the Masoti's.
these castes can not be categorized. as it is done in india(brahmans, kashtirayas, sudras...)
these castes(masoti & gujjar) probably reflect the ethnic background of those ppl.
sooo it all comes down to one thing: POWER. and ofcourse this is a clear example of misusing power.
think for a moment..if the writer of this article would not have used the terms
"masoti" and "gujjar" then how would have the reader interpreted it? like one rich and powerful family does blah blah to take revenge from a poorer and a weaker family..doesn't sound spicy to me. and secondly if the term rich is used then ppl might take it for somebody else
why is it that in bigger cities the castes of the families is never given similar recognition
not to mention that this rich and power thing is still existent in every society to whatever extent it maybe.
***I dunno where I'm going. I dunno what for. But I'm making progress.
What has this got to do with what i posted?? Probably if i were a teacher right now..i would cross it out with a red pen and write IRRELEVANT. ofcourse u would have received a zero for wasting ur ink and page
your afore mentioned para was in reply to the following question i had asked:
what i meant here was that in this case the caste was not an issue. the family felt embarrassed and they had to take revenge
(which they did cause’ they were more powerful). if the family of the girl who suffered would have been from masoti caste (but still weak compared to other family) they still would have gone throught the same ordeal CAUSE’ might is right in that part of Pak.
***I dunno where I’m going. I dunno what for. But I’m making progress.
hmm ok soo what u are saying is that it would have been “ok” with the masoti family[rich], if a “MAHRAM” would have
“accompanied” the girl and the guy while they were walking!!! that sounds an interesting hypothesis!! b/w mahram sounds more like a body guard over here.
acha ji b/w if that would have been the case (keeping the current issue in mind) then how would have their love/affair blossomed..
u mean they would have hugged their daughter for finding the guy of her dreams?? *i can hear the term love marriage
over here somewhere.*hellooo wake up buddy. this is not a movie. this is not west.
b/w this contradicts ur 1st post which itself is contradictory. and secondly most imp of all the guy’s family was POOR AND WEAK. they would never like to give their daughter’s hand in marriage to a guy
whose family is weak and poor.
soo what do u suggest! she should have been made to go through the same humiliation which the other girl went through!!
what if i change this sentence to:
The only answer to these questions point out to one answer… “the CASTE system” which exists in “some countries” and is practiced by “so called MUSLIMS” residing in those
“countries” and who blame The Islamic Republic of Pakistan even though they realize that they were born and raised in some other country.
tell me.. what have u done for UR PAKISTAN? besides spending ur whole life in a different country?
u mean the wwwhhhhhhhhooooooooollllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeee(i didn’t have time to go and search for pak population but u get the idea what i am trying to say over here) pakistan isn’t united cause’ just a few ppl believe in caste-system??
b/w i don’t think if our indians guppies would really like to hear this.
PS. i figured out that they u are a Pakistani but probably u were not born in Pakistan and have spent most of your
time outside Pakistan. all the assumptions which u have made seem to be ur interpretations . like as if in one way
or the other they are applicable to u.
PS. brother Different, i have a sincere advise for u. please don’t get me wrong. forget the past. either do something about the issue u are facing OR get on with ur life. you can’t have everything in life, now can u. probably whats happening is in the best interest for u.
BUT either way PLZZ don’t relate every other issue u see happening in a country(which ur emotionally attached to but were not born and raised in; or should i say U WERE ATTACHED to) with ur prespective or what u have experienced urself.
[This message has been edited by heart beat (edited July 09, 2002).]
[quote]
Originally posted by Yemeen:
***heart beat*
u think that the girl's family would have have been happy to know that their daughter is having an affair with a guy from their caste?
Well I don’t think they would have been happy, but certainly no teenage girl would have been gang raped. Get the point?
**
[/quote]
i think u did not understand what i was trying to say in my post...
please refer to my previous posts in which i have tried to explain what i meant by that.
***I dunno where I'm going. I dunno what for. But I'm making progress.
[quote]
Originally posted by heart beat:
** what i meant here was that in this case the caste was not an issue. the family felt embarrassed and they had to take revenge
(which they did cause' they were more powerful). if the family of the girl who suffered would have been from masoti caste (but still weak compared to other family) they still would have gone throught the same ordeal CAUSE' might is right in that part of Pak.
**
[/quote]
This is a false assumption and you know this very well...., the truth is that if the family of the girl belonged to the same caste, they wouldn't have gone through the same ordeal.., I wonder why are you having difficulty in assimilating this fact.
This issue IS a "caste issue", you want me to believe that the Mastoi's are living in palaces and the Gujjar's in huts?? In "the caste system" your status is ascribed, no matter how rich or poor are you, if you are born in a caste which is considered superior then, no matter how poor are you, you will always be superior.
The different castes rank as high or low according to the degree of honor in which they are held by the Hindu community as a whole, the apex of a pyramid in which other castes are superimposed in layers, one upon another. A man belongs to, and, except in rare cases, remains till death in, the caste in which he is born. The social position of each individual is fixed by heredity and not by personal qualifications and material considerations.
People living in those areas accept the caste system, and they know that there is nothing that they can do to change their status, and accept that it has nothing much to do with being rich or poor.
As if every single family in the Mastoi tribe is rich and every family in the Gujjar tribe is poor.
When I used the word powerful, I used it because in the caste system everyone knows who is powerful and who is weak and all this is based on his/her caste. Please do some homework, because this is exactly how it is practiced to this day, by the Muslims of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan!
[quote]
Originally posted by heart beat:
*hmm ok soo what u are saying is that it would have been "ok" with the masoti family[rich], if a "MAHRAM" would have
"accompanied" the girl and the guy while they were *walking!!! that sounds an interesting hypothesis!! b/w mahram sounds more like a body guard over here.
**
[/quote]
If the girl was accompanied with a Mahram, applying Islamic teachings, the guy and the girl would not have been even close to each other, b/w Islam honors women so much, and the reason why a woman should be accompanied by a Mahram is to avoid these sort of incidents from happening.
[quote]
Originally posted by heart beat:
*acha ji b/w if that would have been the case (keeping the current issue in mind) then how would have their love/affair blossomed..
*
[/quote]
Why should there be a love/affair before marriage? Delaying marriage is the reason we find so much corruption in our societies!
[quote]
Originally posted by heart beat:
*u mean they would have hugged their daughter for finding the guy of her dreams?? *i can hear the term love marriage
over here somewhere.hellooo wake up buddy. this is not a movie. this is not west.
b/w this contradicts ur 1st post which itself is contradictory. and secondly most imp of all the guy's family was POOR AND WEAK. they would never like to give their daughter's hand in marriage to a guy
whose family is weak and poor.
**
[/quote]
When an "affair" becomes known to all, the parents of the girl, try their best to get their daughter married ASAP, in this scenario, nothing is mentioned about the family of the boy as being poor and the family of the girl being rich, its clearly mentioned that the girl belonged to the high class tribe and the boy belonged to the low class tribe, remmeber this, no mention about the financial position of the two families under discussion.
Now since the girl belonged to the high class tribe and the boy belonged to the low class tribe, marriage is not possible, because in the caste system, the high class tribe can take a girl from a low class tribe but they can not give their own daughters in marriage to a boy belonging to the low class tribe.
So, the people in the high class tribe wanted to avenge their lost honor, and for that the elders in that area ordered the gang rape of the sister of the boy who belonged to the low class tribe.
Once again, the question is not about being weak or poor, its about belonging to a high or low class tribe.
This issue would have been dealt with differently if the girl had belonged to the Gujjar tribe and the boy had belonged to the Mastoi tribe.
[quote]
Originally posted by heart beat:
*soo what do u suggest! she should have been made to go through the same humiliation which the other girl went through!!
*
[/quote]
Just because she belongs to a high class tribe, she cannot make a mistake or what? All those who are born in the high class tribe are innocent through out their lives and can never ever make a mistake?
Why is it that an innocent girl, who has nothing to do with the whole thing has been humiliated in such a way and the girl who is a part of the issue is not even mentioned.
Again, this is what happens in the "caste system", and one thing leads to the other. Because it is the girl who belonged to the Mastoi tribe is the one who has brought shame to her family, but since she belongs to the high class tribe, she gets away with everything, because no matter what she does, since she belongs to the high class tribe, she will not be humiliated in the way the other girl has been treated. There is no JUSTICE in the "caste system" and this is what it is, I wonder why, you are having such a hard time in accepting the truth?
[quote]
Originally posted by heart beat:
*u mean the wwwhhhhhhhhooooooooollllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeee(i didn't have time to go and search for pak population but u get the idea what i am trying to say over here) pakistan isn't united cause' just a few ppl believe in caste-system??
b/w i don't think if our indians guppies would really like to hear this.
*
[/quote]
Yes I do believe that, since marriage is the foundation of the Society, and if the foundation is based on cultures, practices, traditions which are UNISLAMIC, we cannot HAVE an ISLAMIC society in THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN. And following cultures, traditions that contradict Islamic teachings falls under "SHIRK", and if our Government can not convey this plain and basic message to its people, then, it should eliminate the word ISLAMIC, since "SHIRK" under "ISLAM" is not allowed.
The different castes rank as high or low according to the degree of honor in which they are held by the Hindu community as a whole, subject to the pre-eminence of the Brahman, who forms, as it were, the apex of a pyramid in which other castes are superimposed in layers, one upon another. A man belongs to, and, except in rare cases, remains till death in, the caste in which he is born. The social position of each individual is fixed by heredity and not by personal qualifications and material considerations.
It is probably on this account that the most important and the most rigid of the rules laid down by caste are those which are concerned with marriage. The principal rule is that of endogamy, under which the members of each caste must marry within, and may not marry outside, the caste. The internal organization of the caste is also determined by regulations as to marriage. It is subdivided into sub-castes, which again are further subdivided into groups, and both the sub-castes and these groups are delimited on matrimonial lines.
One of the most frequent is the adoption of different occupation: it is common, for example, for the members of a caste who sell an article to separate from, and claim superiority to, those who produce it. Differences of social customs are another cause of division.
Membership of different religious sects is a third line of demarcation.
The conception of purity and impurity is the key to many of the apparent enigmas of the caste system, and it is the chief principle on which the system depends. Rank, social position, economic condition have no direct effect on the gradation from the standpoint of caste. The ideas as to what are honorable and what are dishonorable occupations are so extraordinarily varied that they can be reduced to no common factor. The higher castes despise manual work and consider it beneath their dignity. Those castes whose hereditary means of livelihood is some handicraft, such as carpentry, pottery-making, oil manufacture, blacksmith's work, etc., all come within the lower grades of castes.
Neither Brahmans nor Rajputs, many of whom are land-holders, may undertake the physical labor of cultivation, above all, they must not, however poor, drive the plough. To do so is derogatory to their high estate, and they must maintain themselves as gentleman farmers, the Rajputs and Jats, who number many millions, are organized on tribal lines, and though they have caste rules, do not observe the rule of endogamy which is generally characteristic of the caste system. They occasionally intermarry, the Rajputs, who have the higher status, taking Jat wives but refusing to marry their daughters to Jat husbands…
Casteism amongst Muslims (in Pakistan and India)
Despite their conversion to Islam; Pakistani Muslims still refer to themselves as Jats, Gujjars, Rajputs, etc. This is especially so during match-making in an arranged Nikah (marriage). One instance of the visibility of casteist feelings among Pakistanis is the reference Benazir Bhutto makes in her book 'Daughter of the East', when she says, "In my veins runs the blood of a Wadhera". Wadheras are a Rajput clan from Punjab and Sindh.
Caste also exists among Bangla-Deshi Muslims.
Why is Casteism an Indelible Pakistani Reality?
Why is Caste so indelible that it can remain among communities who now profess religions that decry caste distinctions?
Why many centuries after their conversion to Islam and Christianity do Muslims and Christians still subconsciously (and at times openly) observe the caste system they inherited from their Hindu ancestors?
Why is Casteism is today still a living, rather festering, practice which continues to plague our 21st century society?
All this is a constant reminder to us that caste and casteism which we have inherited from our history are still active and alive around us.
[This message has been edited by Different (edited July 10, 2002).]
Different, just the FACT that she was walking with a guy who is not even up to puberty doesn't mean this particular older woman is at fault.
Even if you apply all your questions to the elder lady - it still does not justify that this woman walking with a boy was in any way wrong.
It seems to be a case of my daughter was walking with your son, who is a 2nd rate human to the people of our tribe -- and then justifying this using religion.
She had every right to walk with this boy. After all, God never prohibited friendship - esp friendship with a child?
Secondly, he is a child, so the mehram deal doesn't even count. Also, this whole thing about being ACCOMPANIED by a mehram is blown out of proportion by many muslims. You dont need to be escorted around EVERYWHERE, by a man in your family. I travel to and from work - which is a good 1.5 hours away and my father nor my uncle - my only two "MEHRAMS" in the US - do not accompany me. They possibly can't - if they did, they wouldn't be able to make any money - and if I didn't work, I might lessen my chances of getting into med school.
The travelling with a mehram is meant for protectional purposes and certainly is not mandatory the way it has been made mandatory by many muslims. As long as you're safe as can possibly be on your way in life -- you're good as gold.
Secondly, again, she was with a boy -- her parents, whether they knew or did not know - would have no reason to object to this as he was only a child. So again, whether they know or not really doesn't matter.
Okay, if you want to say that they should have known that she knew this boy and have been OKAY with it - then yes, that is something that should have been. Unfortunately, what should have been rarely was.
This has nothing to do with the older woman being supervised like a cattle grazing -- she's an individual and these insinuations that she shouldn't have walked with the boy in the first place and her parents should know about her whereabouts are of no immportance to the issue.
The issue is
someone got punished for a crime they did not do.
The punishment was way out of league, even if given to the right person.
walking with a boy isn't a sin that ought to even be punished in the first place.
There is a major trend in these tribes to use Islam as an excuse to continue their vulgar pre-Islamic tribal traditions which, in this case, have a lot to do with caste differences rather mehrams and na-mehrams.
[quote]
Originally posted by PyariCgudia:
**Different, just the FACT that she was walking with a guy who is not even up to puberty doesn't mean this particular older woman is at fault.
Even if you apply all your questions to the elder lady - it still does not justify that this woman walking with a boy was in any way wrong.
It seems to be a case of my daughter was walking with your son, who is a 2nd rate human to the people of our tribe -- and then justifying this using religion.
She had every right to walk with this boy. After all, God never prohibited friendship - esp friendship with a child?
Secondly, he is a child, so the mehram deal doesn't even count. Also, this whole thing about being ACCOMPANIED by a mehram is blown out of proportion by many muslims. You dont need to be escorted around EVERYWHERE, by a man in your family. I travel to and from work - which is a good 1.5 hours away and my father nor my uncle - my only two "MEHRAMS" in the US - do not accompany me. They possibly can't - if they did, they wouldn't be able to make any money - and if I didn't work, I might lessen my chances of getting into med school.
The travelling with a mehram is meant for protectional purposes and certainly is not mandatory the way it has been made mandatory by many muslims. As long as you're safe as can possibly be on your way in life -- you're good as gold.
Secondly, again, she was with a boy -- her parents, whether they knew or did not know - would have no reason to object to this as he was only a child. So again, whether they know or not really doesn't matter.
Okay, if you want to say that they should have known that she knew this boy and have been OKAY with it - then yes, that is something that should have been. Unfortunately, what should have been rarely was.
This has nothing to do with the older woman being supervised like a cattle grazing -- she's an individual and these insinuations that she shouldn't have walked with the boy in the first place and her parents should know about her whereabouts are of no immportance to the issue.
The issue is
someone got punished for a crime they did not do.
The punishment was way out of league, even if given to the right person.
walking with a boy isn't a sin that ought to even be punished in the first place.
There is a major trend in these tribes to use Islam as an excuse to continue their vulgar pre-Islamic tribal traditions which, in this case, have a lot to do with caste differences rather mehrams and na-mehrams.**
[/quote]
Sister PcG... I do not know what has made you come to the conclusion that I am denying all the points of the "issue" that you have mentioned at the end of your post?
This is exactly what the issue is and except for point # 3, which I do not accept completely, I am not denying any of the other points, the reason I have mentioned "the mehram" part is to point out the "hikma" in Islamic teachings, that we ignore most of the time, claiming to be more knowledgeable than the One who Created us.
These people are practicing their un-Islamic traditions and at the same time claim to be Muslims, and this is why I have pointed out to the mistakes that the Mastoi's did, since there are a few people on this forum who support this "caste system", which is the root cause of the problem, and they claim that this issue has nothing to do with the "caste system".
We are not discussing you or your father here, just because you do not think that Islamic Teachings can be applied today, doesn't change anything. You should always remember that the issue took place in Pakistan and not in the US, so please be realistic when pointing out to what is right and what is wrong according to the geographical location where the incident took place and the people who are involved.
The rest of your concern's are referring to the Islamic Teachings, and for that, you are welcome on the "Religion" forum.
Since you think that the “caste” issue was brought in just to make the article look colorful, read this…
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 7 — Mukhtaran Mai says she begged for mercy when four men dragged her into a hut and raped her. Standing outside, hundreds of villagers cheered and laughed to the girl’s screams. Mukhtaran’s rape has shocked many in this nation of 140 million - especially because it was ordered by her village elders. And a month after the ordeal, human rights groups and women’s organizations have banded together to press the Pakistani government to end brutal tribal justice.
WHEN MUKHTARAN’S father heard her screams in the village of Meerwala, he rushed to rescue his daughter. The same crowd that cheered the rape watched as the victim was forced to walk naked back to her home.
“I was dragged by the people, I begged them not to do this, I begged them to stop, but they would not. My uncle and my father tried to stop them but they did not stop,” Mukhtaran said in an interview.
Mukhtaran’s agony began on June 22 in the Pakistani province of Punjab, when a panchayat, or tribal council, convened to determine the fate of her ** 11-year old brother, who was seen walking in the fields with a girl of the higher caste Matsoi tribe.**
** In a village like Meerwala, such an act is considered a great dishonor to the entire tribe.** The boy’s father tried to convince the council that his son had done no wrong. He even volunteered for his son to marry the girl in question and wed his own daughter to one of the Matsoi men. ** The council, however, could not allow a Matsoi girl to marry a lower caste male.**
After two hours of deliberation, the council ordered a ruthless punishment. Four Matsoi tribesmen, also members of the judicial council, were told to inflict dishonor on the family by raping Mukhtaran.
Recounting that day, Mukhtaran says she fell to her knees, crying and weeping. She said she appealed to the council members’ morality, reminding them that she taught their daughters to read the Koran. “But they tore my clothes and raped me, one by one,” Mukhtaran told a local news agency.
Police have called the tribal verdict illegal, but Pakistan’s tradition of tribal justice — in which dignity reigns above all — sometimes makes law enforcement officials powerless to intervene.
The entire village had congregated to witness the rape, but the police were nowhere to be seen. The incident went unreported until earlier this month when the national newspapers broke the story.
SUPREME COURT ACTS
The Pakistani Supreme Court took notice of Mukhtaran’s story and called a hearing on the case. Chief Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed summoned the top police and government officials of the region. During the hearing on July 5, the Supreme Court questioned the efficiency of the police and gave them a strict warning. The police were also instructed to submit weekly reports to the court on their investigation into the case.
“The judicial concern for this shocking incident is very apparent,” said Law Minister Khalid Ranjha.
The case has also brought international attention, and demands by the private Human Rights Commission of Pakistan that the government move to end tribal laws.
On behalf of Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Women Affairs Minister Attiya Inayatullah gave Mukhtaran 500,000 rupees ($8,200) as compensation. Inayatullah informed the family that the president had ordered that a school be built in the village in the victim’s name. ** Mukhtaran responded by offering her compensation money to found a school for girls in Meerwala. Her parents donated a plot their land for the same purpose.**
With the next Supreme Court hearing set for July 11, the police are conducting raids all over the region, in search of the accused. To exert pressure, the police have detained several relatives of the accused. Two of the four suspected rapists have surrendered, and police detained a further two men on Sunday.
“When the accused are captured, their crime is punishable by death,” said law minister Ranjha. ** “The laws are strict, but it is the implementation that is the problem.”**
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recently issued a report estimating that ** a woman is raped every two hours in Pakistan.** Most cases go unreported due to the social stigma attached to the crime and the hindrances in laws governing admissible evidence in rape cases. ** In Punjab alone, a woman is raped every six hours and a woman is gang-raped every four days, yet only 321 rape cases were reported **to the police last year, the report said.
The girl’s parents donated a plot of their land… they were not poor! Its the “caste-system” that’s written all over this issue and you are claiming that its just included to make the article look colorful?