Women’s safety still a big question in Pakistan

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The murder of a Hindu girl in Pakistan, has raised the question about women’s safety in the country, especially of women from the religious minority communities.

The murder of a Hindu girl in Pakistan has raised the question about women’s safety in the country, especially of women from the religious minority communities.

Recently, an 18-year-old girl from the Hindu community, Pooja Kumari was shot dead in Sukkur while she resisting attempted abduction.

The assailant is believed to have entered her house with two accomplices and shot her after she refused to marry him. The police have arrested the suspect and presented him before the local court, said an editorial in The News International citing reports.

It said that numerous cases of abduction and forced conversion of underage girls were reported, particularly in Sindh but the entire judicial system, police and administrative machinery appears to be helpless in such cases.

Pakistani politician talks about various issues ranging from poverty to corruption but they don’t give much attention to the issue that is needed.

The Pakistani publication believes that discrimination and hatred against women have been created, nurtured and spread across the country. It also states that the state policies of the country have added to the increasing crimes against women and religious minorities.

On one side Pakistan government discuss ‘Islamophobia’ with the western countries while the country themselves don’t do justice to their own minorities. The increase in the number of forced conversions of underage girls clearly states that Pakistan doesn’t give even the basic rights to the minority communities.

Pakistani publication mentions 2014, Pakistani Supreme court judgement where they recommended to protect the rights of minorities and issued a general critique of a state that has not followed its duty to protect the most vulnerable among them. The court also called for the constitution of a task force but none of this could stop the crimes against religious minorities.

The editorial suggested that the Pakistan government need to take strict action and merely legislating the issue won’t help Pakistan to win the battle against intolerance.

Notably, since the Imran Khan government came to power in August 2018, Pakistan’s Global Gender Gap Index has worsened over time. In 2017, Pakistan ranked 143, slipping to 148 in 2018.

According to the last year’s ‘Global Gender Gap Report 2021’, Pakistan ranked 153 out of 156 countries on the gender parity index, that is, among the last four.

The country has become more conservative since Imran Khan came to power.