Amendments in Hudood Law - has anything changed?

Qudsia Kadri

As a woman, a working woman of the society, of the Islamic republic of Pakistan, my head hangs in shame and disgust, like all other woman of this country every time I have to pick my pen to write about violations and abuse against the female body. Each time and here we emphasis the rapid and constant increase in the violent and worst form of degradation and abuse of any human body called Rape, is appalling to say the least.
After the Muktharan Mai episode in Punjab, much professed to have changed in the country. Different NGOs, human right organizations, came forward to condemn the act. Our woman parliamentarians of both the ruling party and the opposition decided to get together for bringing changes in the existing Hudood Laws. When Muktharan Mai got the international community taking up her case with fervor, the government started ranting about how women have become protected and empowered citizens of this nation. How their voice was being heard and their suggestions and recommendations were being included in the passage and implementation of remedied laws. So then where is the end of human right violations and the barbaric act of rape.
The latest tragedy to strike is the Nasima Labano gang-rape incident. The occurrence took place in the Habib Labano village in ubauro town which is about 600kms from Karachi.
Eleven armed men raped and disrobed Nasima about a week ago. She was gang-raped because the rapists wanted to punish her for some affair a boy from her clan had with the relative of the rapists. The story is very much the same as the horrific tale of Muktharan Mai.
Nasima Labano was made to walk back naked after being raped. The humiliation, the physical injuries are minuscule compared to the mental and emotional life-scars and the psychological torture Nasima Labano will have to live with for the rest of her life.
The tragedy does not end here, for the criminals the rapists are known to the area people, the police know who these influential feudal landlords behind these criminals are, the politicians of this province know who they are, the people at the helm of the Sindh government know the backing and support behind the rapists. Why then, despite the registration of a case, have the accused not been arrested.
Where is the amended Hudood Ordinance? Does it exist only in paper? Has it not been passed by the National Assembly and endorsed by the Senate?
Why are the Law-enforcing agencies silent? where are our federal and provincial women parliamentarians? We have not heard any of you raise your voice? Where are the human right groups? Please raise your voice for the longer you take the more difficult it will be to bring the criminals - the savage barbarians to justice. Apart from some Sindhi newspapers in the media, which highlighted the case the rest of us are quiet.
Why? Is it because the voice of justice cannot rise for the poor, the minority, the weak and the downtrodden in our Islamic society. Are we afraid of power, pressures, money or do we feel that these incidents always take place and soon all will be forgotten and hence we accept it passively.
Whatever the reasons, let us not fail to remember that in the eyes of God to be a quiet on-looker to any kind of repression, injustice and criminal deed makes us equally responsible for such acts and omissions of justice taking place.
As a woman, as law abiding, tax-paying working women of this country we ask for not just changes in the law, but for strict implementation of the law, we ask for justice, we ask for punishment of the highest level to be handed out to these predators here and in other such abuse cases to be taken to the gallows. We want our homes, our work places, our schools, our factories, our lands to be safe and free from criminals such as the rapists in the present case. And this will only happen when criminals will be arrested, tried and punished by the courts of law in Pakistan.