From the Working Women Organization via e-mail:

Dear Friends,

As you know how alarmed things are here in Pakistan. For getting absolute control on world resources, American Government has imposed war and internal conflicts in several parts of the world. Pakistan is one of them that is compel to play front line state against alleged “War on terrorism” Pakistani ruling elites never ever bother welfare of general public while they constantly defend personal privileges and profits, no matter they have army background or “elected” status. They work for single agenda “follow American instructions”.

We women and workers are forefront victims of these policies and
suffering from massive unemployment, poverty, war, hunger, forced
immigration and terror attacks.

75% people live under poverty line, due to load shading and unlimited power cuts 1750 factories and industrial units has shut down. In last> six months just in one city Karachi, 250, 000 daily and temporary workers has lost their livelihood. Law & order situation is worse than ever, in Karachi and Lahore just in a week 50 people were killed in target killings, just in a month 10 bomb blast has occurred in different cities which took hundreds’ people lives and made thousands badly injured and disable. War in Sawat and other Northern areas pushed 2 million people leave their areas.

Violence against women are shamefully increasing, women re torched and killed by their own uncles, bothers and fathers. Social and legislative system does not give women any protection or prosecute their killers. Police got free hand to kill any one on the name of terrorist. (my note–that last sentence could also be a description of U.S. foreign policy as well.)

We women workers strongly condemn all devastation imposing in Pakistan and all around the globe on the name of religion, race, color, recession and terrorism.

In this glooming situation we believe just workers and general people’s consciousness and real understanding about social, cultural, economical and political facts will make difference. We must learn actual and hidden realities of national, regional and international policies and on different levels we must expose and resist against those who are behind all destructions, horror, clashes and oppression.

Just our hard and united resistance against imperialist and fascist forces will stop and defeat them. We “workers (women & men)” must support each others and strengthen international solidarity for brining peace and justice in our own respective countries along with globally.

Long live international workers unity!!

In solidarity,
Simy Zafar
General Secretary
Working Women Organization

Memo to the Presidents of Pakistan and the U.S., the leaders of the Taliban, their generals and their ministers:  Malalay is an 11-year old girl living in the Swat Valley of Pakistan.  She speaks with an understanding of truth and justice that I fear you will never have.  Please take a few minutes and sit down, shut up and take her words to heart:

“Every child of my age in the area is terrified. We are not allowed to go to schools, when they asked us not to go to schools, we stopped going there,” she added. “Yet, they torched our schools. We couldn’t go out to play.”

“I want to become a doctor. I want to tell all the extremist elements that if they deny female education, where would they send their own daughters for medical treatment,” Malalay said.

Malalay is also fearful for her teachers who are threatened everyday by these militant elements.

“My teachers have dedicated themselves for the mission of imparting education and yet, these forces have threatened to kill them and forced them to stay at home,” she added

“My school has 62 teachers and around 700 children are studying in the school and it’s been weeks that no educational activity has taken place in our schools. I won a quiz competition on my last day at school and I was so happy that I beat all the other students of my age, but now I dread that I would never be able to go to school, participate in quizzes and win prizes for my abilities,” Malalay said, with tears in her eyes.

Malalay is a very intelligent girl and has a very good understanding of what is happening in her community. Her love for her homeland and her anguish on the current situation is very obvious from this poem, which she wrote herself to address elders and the people in power.

Education is my basic right
My books have been burnt
My pen has been broken
My school has been torched
O’ the protector of human rights and justice,
Come out! Stand by us!
Give my books back!
Give my pen back!
I am the daughter of the Eve!
I’m a mother, I’ m a sister, I’ m a daughter…
I am an honorable part of this global village…
Is there anyone to hear my voice, to hear Swat??
Help us and protect us!

From The International News:

Statistics in an annual report reveal that a total of 7,733 incidents of violence against women were reported between January and December 2008, with the highest number of cases (4,360) occurring in Punjab.

The data forms part of a detailed report on ‘Situation of Violence Against Women in Pakistan’, launched by Aurat Foundation at a press conference here on Tuesday.
“In the long run, this data will provide policy and law reform inputs to federal and provincial governments, political parties and legislatures through consultative processes on developing policy framework and institutional mechanisms for ending violence against women,” said Shazia Perveen of Aurat Foundation.

She said out of the total incidents, 4,360 cases were reported in Punjab, 1,385 in Sindh, 1,013 in NWFP, 763 in Balochistan and 212 in Islamabad. “Among these cases, 73.53 per cent were registered with police while 19.09 per cent were not registered, with no evidence found in media regarding the registration status of the remaining 7.38 per cent of cases.”

Shazia said the percentage of abduction cases is the highest i.e. 22.79 per cent (1,762) of the total cases, followed by murder of women (1,516), hurt and body injury (844), suicide (579) and honour killing (472).

Mentioning some other statistics, she said 439 cases of rape and 307 cases of gang rape were reported last year whereas 25 incidents of ‘Vani’/customary practices also made headlines in the media in the span of these 12 months.

Via WLUML:

Mukhtar Mai’s counsel, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, had moved an application for adjournment, which was considered the best course of action in the current circumstances. With no right to a further appeal, Mai’s rapists will stay in jail. However, the threat to the safety of Mukhtar Mai, and her family, from those implicated in the interference in her case remains. A message of thanks from Mukhtar Mai Women’s Welfare Organization:

“Hats off to all of you for your efforts for all the interventions you made in support of Mukhtar! and to Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan for agreeing to appear for Mukhtar’s case because he has not been appearing in any case because of his principled stand believing the imposition of emergency and sacking of the judiciary in November 2007 illegal and unconstitutional. Barrister Ahsan is former President of Supreme Court Bar Association and is one of the main leader of the lawyers movement.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Mukhtar Mai Women’s Welfare Organization cautions that we have to ensure the perpetrators do not receive favourable treatment because of their political influence. It is much more important now because the threat to the lives of Mukhtar Mai, her family and colleagues has increased after exposing the minister’s act.

The Welfare organization recommend we continue our written interventions and ask the government of Pakistan to:

* Ensure that interference and political influence is not used in the proceedings of the case.

* Hold accountable the Federal Minister Mr. Abdul Qayyum Jatoi for his interference in a sub-judice matter and demand that he should be de-seated from his public office.

* Develop a security system for the safety and security of Mukhtar Mai, her family and colleagues, because of the increased threat to their lives, and that the police official should be directed to ensure that the security system is being implemented in letter and spirit.

ADDRESSES

His Excellency
Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President’s Avenue
Islamabad, PAKISTAN
Phone: +92-51-9206069
FAX: +92-51-9203297 & +92-51-922 1422

His Excellency
Mr. Yousuf Raza Gillani
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister House
Islamabad, PAKISTAN
Phone: +92-51-9206111
Fax: +92-51-9206907

Mr. Rehman Malik
Advisor / Minister for Interior
R Block, Pak Secretariat
Islamabad, PAKISTAN
Email Address: ministry.interior@gmail.com, interior.complaintcell@gmail.com
Tel: +92-51-9212026
Fax: +92-51- 9202624

Ms. Sherry Rehman
Minister for Women Development
1/F, State Building: 5
Ministry of Women Development
Islamabad, PAKISTAN
+92-51-920 1083

Mr. Salman Tasseer
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Lahore, PAKISTAN
Fax: +92-42-9200077

BACKGROUND

For more background on this case please see here:

http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[157]=x-157-243305

here: http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[157]=x-157-187717

and here: http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[157]=x-157-542952