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SPECULATION is rife that a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister is on the cards and is likely to be moved before the end of this month. Even if this speculation is well-founded it isn’t clear if the opposition will have the numbers required for its success.
And of course, there are other factors that could come into play such as the country’s chief executive announcing certain decisions way ahead of time in order to secure his own position, and if that does indeed happen what impact may it have on any no-trust move.
But I say with great sadness that whatever happens in this quest for high offices or ensuring longevity in powerful positions, the rot in society is now so deep-seated that whosoever is to be the chief executive or occupy even more powerful positions (in reality), nothing is going to change.
Before you start wondering what this is about let me get to the point. I will concede the state of affairs is as much the fault of the decision-makers as it is of the media because many of us in the media, who are duty-bound to be guardians of the public interest, fail in our main job.
We prefer to chase red herrings and cover pointless statements, even as we relegate the real issues to obscurity.
We prefer to chase red herrings, adorn our front pages and lead our TV bulletins with endless reports of tirades between the government and the opposition often amounting to naught, and we cover pointless statements, even as we relegate the real issues to obscurity.
Despite feeling acute embarrassment, even shame, at our own conduct, I was left seething with rage when I saw the prime minister awarding 10 of his ministers, their ministries, and by implication his own self for high performance and meeting their, unspecified, objectives.
You’d be justified in asking why. Pick up a copy, or e-archive, of the Feb 7 edition of The News and turn to Page 5. A headline over the top of the last three columns will make for harrowing reading: In the name of honour in six months: ‘2,439 women raped, 9,529 kidnapped, 90 killed in Punjab’.
The News correspondent says that the “fresh report in connection with rape and torture against children and women” was made public on the order of the Punjab Information Commission.
The report, “released on behalf of Punjab Police, revealed that 22,030 women were subject to torture between July 2021 to December 2021, while 428 women became target of domestic torture and 90 were killed on the name of honour in Punjab.
“The report further divulged that during [the] aforementioned period, 897 children were sexually abused while 204 child labour and 12 cases of under aged marriage were registered. According to documents, most of the cases of torture against women reported in Punjab province and most of cases (4,978 case) were registered in Lahore, while 2,330 women were kidnapped in Lahore.
“While 396 rape cases were registered in Lahore. The 423 of women kidnapping cases, 78 rape cases and 990 women torture cases were registered in Sheikhupura. While 397 women torture cases, 423 kidnap cases and 32 rape cases were reported in Nankana Sahib.
“The documents showed that 1,239 women torture cases, 371 abduction cases and 101 rape cases were registered in Kasur, while in Gujranwala 777 women torture cases, 309 kidnapping cases and 78 rape cases were registered.
“The 318 women and child torture cases, 94 kidnapping cases and 41 rape cases were registered in Faisalabad.”
I share The News report in direct quotes as it says it is based on Punjab police’s official statistics.
The moment I read the report I scanned other newspapers, including this one, and watched some TV bulletins. But lo and behold! There was no mention of it. Yes, all news platforms were full of which politician met which politician and also had the usual bevy of ministers saying their government has done wonders.
From the text of The News report it was clear that it was a Freedom of Information request by the newspaper’s reporter and hence it was the only one to carry the ‘exclusive’ story. What to me was perplexing was why the report did not make the outer pages.
This is not to pick on The News. The next day, or even the day after the next, no other media seemed to have picked up the matter for a follow-up or even to have bothered to ascertain whether the startling stats were correct or a mistake. Self-flagellation is pointless. A course correction is in order.
Would I be justified in asking why the prime minister had that award ceremony? He continuously talks of Riyasat-i-Madina. Would any of his dozen or more spokesmen/women tell me what would have happened if such crimes against women were rampant in the real Riyasat-i-Madina?
Read more: Women journalists criticise PM for linking rape with dress code
Would anyone be giving themselves a pat on the back? The answer would be a resounding no. The truth is, lip service aside, collectively we don’t really care about half of humanity, and a little more than half of our own population, even our children. What else would explain this apathy?
If anything, enlightened self-interest should dictate that half the country’s population can’t be treated no better than chattel by our patriarchy-driven values and understanding of issues and human rights. Women are more than equal to men, as they have demonstrated time and again.
They have not failed at all. Society has failed them. They are more than worthy equals of men and only an iron-fisted enforcement of the law can create an environment where they can safely and securely progress as is their right.
People talk of raising awareness of women’s rights. I couldn’t agree more. But to use the ‘raise awareness’ mantra without a no-nonsense enforcement of the law protecting their rights and their person, is no more than mere obfuscation. We can’t let down women and our children thus. It is criminal.
The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2022
