Acclaimed writer, Zeina Toric-Azad sits down with Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi to discuss his plans for women’s rights in the coming year in the country.

 

A bullet still remains lodged in Pakistan’s Commander in Chief, President Arif Alvi. A momento of a violent protest in 1969 criticizing Ayub Khan’s (then-regarded) liberal regime. A prominent and well-respected dentist, Dr. Alvi began his life in politics as a young polling agent for the right-wing student division of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI). Today, however, he is known as one of the Founders of the party of the ‘Youth’, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf, literally: the ‘Pakistan Movement for Justice’ and as the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

 

It’s just turned 2019, and the global #MeToo, #TimesUp, #BelieveWomen, #WhyIDidntReport, #ImWithHer (to name a few) movements have been felt in Pakistan, too. Unfortunately, feminism isn’t a subject that politicians tend to be forthcoming about – globally. But in Pakistan, the President, keen to discuss gender politics, has welcomed me to have a face to face to discuss his plans for women’s rights for the coming year.

 

Change does indeed come from the top.

 

Female citizens in Pakistan suffer some of the worst ordeals that women the world over go through: Their right to divorce held ransom, their lives put at risk in the name of honour, their faces being drenched with acid and earning a livelihood often being denied them are only naming some of those ordeals. The HRCP documented over seven hundred ‘honour’ crimes between June 2017 and August 2018. That figure, while daunting, is likely a lot lower than we realise. Most cases aren’t reported.

 

Women can often find themselves at the mercy of their male relatives who force them to sign away their rights to land or bully them into not asking for those rights. “In Baluchistan, there is usually no inheritance for women especially where male offspring exist. There are also incidents of male relatives using force or resorting to murder, when their female relatives approach a court of law to claim their share in inheritance or refuse to give up their legal rights to inheritance.” (Lead)

 

While women are tasked with running the home and raising the children, they do not generally tend to be educated in how best to do those things or even of their own basic legal rights. The health, well-being and happiness of those women and their children needs to be addressed. Sixty-five percent of girls are enrolled in primary schools as compared to seventy-nine percent of boys, and of that almost half of the girls leave primary school before completing the final grade (ABC). These are all issues that make most politicians in third-world countries uncomfortable.

 

And so I walked into this interview with some trepidation. For one – would Dr. Arif Alvi be open to the questions I was hoping to ask? He’s known for being the mild mannered dentist turned politician who waits in line like everyone else – and I’d met him a year or so before… he had seemed self-effacing and kind. So was I to meet the mild-mannered dentist I’d previously met or the firebrand activist of his youth?

 

One of the first things that the new government in the country did was to launch an awareness campaign to educate people about the rights of women within the laws of inheritance. Shireen Mazari, the Human Rights Minister, made a statement that it was the government’s top priority to protect a woman’s right to her inheritance. And while this doesn’t write as well as political statements on all of the heinous acts of violence that women in Pakistan suffer, this issue is perhaps one of the most important contributing factors to the persecution of Pakistani women. Financial autonomy is a massive step towards gender equality.

 

I remember thinking all this as I was taken down the warmly lit wood-panelled hallways of Karachi’s Governor House.  It goes without saying that the building was colonial.  After passing through a stream of security, valet, arches, doors and metal detectors, I was from within the house struck suddenly and utterly motionless by the view.

 

Robert Tor Russel, the British Raj’s Chief Architect to the Public Works Department and the man behind the most notable buildings in New Delhi, had built a nondescript doorway that faced the gardens. Opened wide, it framed what would be the exact spot that the sun would set every day. At that moment, however, the sun was still high up in the sky and I was momentarily blinded.

 

President Alvi had just been in what looked like a massive meeting with a veritable horde of light-hearted and cheerful people. They were now ambling out comfortably chatting as they passed in a cloud of perfume, lawn print and suits.

 

I was quickly ushered into a large room. I had expected pictures and paintings of Jinnah. I’d sat under many larger than life paintings of the man in many a government office, but this one had the distinction of making me uncomfortable. Maybe it was the knowledge that this was once his office and I was sat there decades later about to discuss such significant issues as those around women’s rights.

 

Or perhaps it was just that it was the largest painting of him I’d seen yet.

 

In a country with as much internal ethnic stereotyping and classism as Pakistan, it is perhaps not surprising that President Arif Alvi is only the third President whose family had migrated to Pakistan from India during Partition. But it is this and the fact that the President is a well-respected member of a scientific field that left me curious as to what the Commander in Chief’s plans were for the coming year. It had to be something different, surely?

 

When I finally sat down with President Arif Alvi, I noticed some of the subtle ways in which he was different to the MNA I’d met before. Here was a man with a commanding presence though he sat comfortably – relaxed and affable.

 

After the initial pleasantries, we turned to the topic at hand and he gave me his considered thoughts:

 

Z: What is the most important message you want to give the people of Pakistan about your plans for women’s rights in 2019?

 

AA: “Women’s inheritance rules are weak in Pakistan. I want to push for a strong declaration for the inheritance rights of women. We plan to work in that direction with the help of the Ulema.”

 

The Ulema is a body of Muslim scholars with specialist knowledge of law and theology within Islam.

 

Z: The Prime Minister had mentioned that he was interested in the plight of widows in particular. Does that resonate with you?

 

AA: “Yes, regarding the same issue of inheritance.”

 

Inheritance can play a fundamental role in the socio-economic and political empowerment of women, but women are regrettably often denied that right because Pakistani society can be inherently patriarchal. The Human Rights Ministry of the new government, however, has taken this issue seriously and last year launched a helpline number, 1099, to provide free legal advice to women on inheritance laws and regulations.

 

Z: You’d mentioned Child Nutrition being an area you’re interested in?

 

AA: “Yes, I want to promote the ‘1,000 Days of Life Nutrition’ concept to new mothers in Pakistan.”

 

The concept of the initial 1,000 days of life’s nutrition is intriguing. It refers to the period of time between the child’s conception and his or her second birthday. It’s believed to be a unique period of time where the parents have the chance to lay the foundations of optimum health, growth and neural development.

 

Pakistan is sadly among the countries in the world with the highest rates of child malnutrition, and its progress in child nutrition and health remains slower than in other South Asian countries. In fact the ‘Child Malnutrition in Pakistan: Evidence from Literature’ review published in 2018 is a sobering read; a few startling numbers below show the prevalence of the serious issues of stunting, wasting and underweight children across both urban and rural areas (over a period of sixteen years):

 

• KPK, district Nowshera, 12.5% children were stunted while 15% were underweight and 7% were wasting.
• Quetta, Baluchistan, reported that 48% of children were stunted and 10% were wasting.
• Sindh’s rural areas: the situation of children in terms of stunting, wasting, and underweight is just as alarming with a study showing 61% of children were stunned, 54% were underweight, and 47% were wasting.

 

A review of data from urban areas also highlighted that 22% of children were stunted, 10% were wasted, and 24% were underweight.

 

The review opens by stating “It has not been the priority issue of government of Pakistan to overcome the malnutrition in children” (NCBI). Now, however, with the promotion of ‘1,000 days of Life’s Nutrition’, a much needed positive step for the country may be taken. If effectively done, this could benefit millions of children.

 

Z: What are your thoughts on the current #MeToo movement on sexual harassment in Pakistan?

 

AA: “I am not aware of the particulars, but women should not be harassed. I feel that women should also seek to use their resources such as the women’s ombudsman.”

 

The Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010 covers all of Pakistan. Employees of organizations as defined in the act, can file their complaint of harassment at the workplace. The Ombudsman’s office has been dealing with the grievances of women suffering uncomfortable or intimidating environments at their workplaces/offices.

 

The #MeToo movement has been felt in Pakistan with famous celebrities coming forward as well as students. Companies such as Patari have seen changes in their leadership due to allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment.

 

Z: As a trained medical professional, is there something in particular that you feel the government ought to consider?

 

AA: “Yes, I feel that there should be a blood test before the nikah-nama to check for Thalassemia.”

 

Z: The hereditary illness?

 

AA: “Yes. I think that male members must first be tested for Thalassemia as it is likely easier to get the men tested. If the male is negative, then marriage should be fine. And this test should be free.”

 

Thalassemia is a deadly disease. As a blood condition, it involves having fewer red blood cells and less oxygen-carrying haemoglobin than your body ought to. How do you ensure that you don’t catch it? You don’t: Thalassemia is genetic. Symptoms of Thalassemia include delayed growth and development, lethargy, cardiac issues and bone deformities.

 

To combat this, individuals require regular blood transfusions. And the blood transfusions could have their own side effects and risks – particularly in a country where recycling injections can be lucrative on the black market. In Southeast Asia, up to 30% of the population has a thalassemia trait – and up to 40% may be genetic carriers.

 

Z: That sounds like a great idea. Are there any other medical issues that you plan on considering this year?

 

AA: “Yes, mental health of women, in fact – not just of women – of both sexes – women and men – is important. I’m also concerned about how abused and battered women can’t seem to turn to the government for protection.”

 

34% of people in Pakistan suffer from depression or anxiety. The province-wide prevalence is: Sindh 16%, Punjab 8%, Balochistan 40% and Khyber-PakhtunKhwa 5% (JPMS).

 

Mental health has been often both triviliased or sensationalized in Pakistan. From assertions that girls just need to get married to no longer be mentally and emotionally unwell, to being convinced that a person seeming to be mentally unstable is actually under a spell or possessed. There is also, unfortunately, a worldwide stigma attached to mental health issues. While mental and emotional health may seem to be a personal issue, societal and environmental stressors can lead to or worsen mental and emotional health. Pakistan has been facing a series of issues involving the load-shedding of basic utilities, human rights’ violations, violent criminal activity, rape-murders of children, political uncertainty etc. These are under the purview of the government and it is fantastic to see the Commander in Chief taking on the responsibility for it.

 

Z: So your main concerns for women in 2019 are health and inheritance laws?

 

AA: “Yes, in fact there is going to be a new inheritance law coming soon where people can have their inheritance procedures done in 15-20 days with NADRA.”

 

Government and legal processes in Pakistan are notoriously slow. With an endless array of papers and offices involved, it can be a laborious process to have your rightful inheritance given to you. There has also been an increase in discourse on whether or not a last will or testament holds weight under Shariah Law. Financial autonomy can help both women and men, and streamlining inheritance should help with that.

 

Z: That is amazing! Is there anything that you’d like to end this discussion with?

 

AA: “Yes. Unless Pakistan involves women in the workforce, Pakistan will not progress in this world – and therefore we should discuss harassment – even in the workplace. Pakistan should be safe for women.”

 

It is heartening to see that the President of Pakistan is committed to the live issues of the day and has clear plans to implement. In the world of the #MeToo and other movements, it is great that he is championing positivity.

 

As the interview drew to a close, I thanked him for his time and considered insights. On my way down the carpeted stairs, I stopped at Mr. Russel’s doorway. The sun was setting dead centre, and it was breathtaking.

 

And hopeful.

#WomensRights #Feminism #PTI #Pakistan #Politician #President #ArifAlvi #Women #ImranKhan #BushraBibi

 

Zeina is a British writer, poet and businesswoman based in Karachi and London. A seasoned corporate consultant, she’s been running her family’s executive training and consultancy company in Karachi while also working in the bridal fashion industry in London. Zeina writes on women’s rights, politics, the legal system and social issues. You can find her on twitter and in her woodworking studio.