As women's rights activists continue to make their voices heard, recent remarks made by President Musharraf regarding rape cases in Pakistan have added insult to injury, writes Iffat Idris "You must understand the environment in Pakistan. This has become a money-making concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and become a millionaire, get yourself raped." These comments, made by President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan in a Washington Post interview, have caused domestic and international outrage. The president was visiting the United States to attend the UN Summit, marking the world body's 60th year. In an interview with the Washington Post he was asked about the plight of rape victims in his country. His answer left many fuming. In recent months, the Pakistani president has made several strong statements on the issue of rape. They have been provoked by a number of high-profile rape cases in the country. The most notorious was the 2002 gang-rape of Mukhtaran Mai on the orders of a jirga or local tribal council. Mai, a poor woman from a village in Meerwalla, southern Punjab, was brought before the council to apologise for the conduct of her younger brother, who had been accused of having relations with a woman from a rival, higher-caste tribe. It later transpired that this charge was a cover, used to deflect attention from the fact that he had been sodomised by several men from the higher tribe. But instead of being allowed to plead for her brother, Mai was raped and then forced to parade home naked in front of several hundred men. The case attracted international attention after a local imam condemned it in his Friday sermon. Since 2002, Mai has been engaged in a struggle for justice. Massive domestic and international media attention has forced the authorities to take action. Thirteen men were arrested and tried by an Anti-Terrorism Court; six were sentenced to death. But the sentence was overturned by the Lahore High Court, which ordered the men's release. Since then, the legal tussle has continued, and the case is currently pending before the Supreme Court. Speaking in conferences and meetings across the country, Mai has become an activist for women's rights. Her name was recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize. Generous donations from across the world have enabled her to open a school for girls in her village. Recently, she was invited to speak in America, but was prevented from travelling by the government -- her name was placed on the Exit Control List. The reason for the restriction was apparently the concern that she would give Pakistan "a bad name". The second high-profile case was that of Shazia Khaled, a doctor working in a gas plant hospital in remote Balochistan, who was allegedly raped by an army officer. Government inaction led to local protests and conflict between tribal and security forces in January, and several people were killed in the clashes. Khaled faced death threats, and fled the country soon after with her husband. She is currently in the United Kingdom, but has been offered Canadian citizenship. The third and most recent case to capture the news headlines is that of Sonia Naz. In an attempt to secure the release of her husband from illegal police detention, Naz entered the National Assembly in April this year. She was spotted by a woman MNA and handed over to the police. After a month in custody she was released, only to be kidnapped from her home. Naz has accused senior police officers of ordering her kidnap and rape: she was detained for 15 days before being released. PM Shaukat Aziz ordered the suspension of the senior police officers named by Naz, but to date there have been no arrests. Naz has taken refuge in a woman's shelter and her plight continues. Her husband recently filed for divorce, citing both the shame of her rape and the pressure his family was coming under from the police. Women's rights groups have tried to highlight these cases, and have found the international media very receptive. All the cases have attracted extensive media coverage, as well as international sympathy and support for the victims -- which has come in the form of monetary donations, offers of citizenship and other forms of aid. It is this which seems to have provoked the president's anger. Speaking at a conference on violence against women held in Islamabad earlier this month, the president returned to a theme he has broached in several recent speeches: the way in which Pakistanis, and particularly NGOs, are engaged in "washing Pakistan's dirty laundry in public". Musharraf condemned this practice, urging Pakistanis not to blacken the country's image by highlighting such cases before the rest of the world. He also accused the media and NGOs of unfairly singling Pakistan out for criticism. Quoting statistics for rape crimes from the US and France, the president claimed that rape is a universal problem -- not something unique to Pakistan. Women's groups have responded by pointing out that while rape happens everywhere, women in Pakistan face legal and other obstacles to securing justice. Apart from the general social disgrace associated with being raped -- something that keeps many victims silent -- there are problems with the police, the courts and the law. The police are often insensitive to rape victims, and lack the training and facilities to conduct investigations properly. The courts can take months, if not years, to hear rape cases. But by far the biggest problem is with the law. As part of his Islamicisation drive Pakistan's last military ruler, General Zia-ul-Haq, passed the Hudood Ordinances, under which any woman making an accusation of rape must have four adult male witnesses to prove it. If she does not, she can be charged with zina -- sex outside marriage. The majority of women currently in detention in Pakistan have been arrested under the Hudood Ordinances because they could not meet the evidence requirements for rape, and -- having confessed to sex -- were charged with zina. Repeated efforts to repeal the Hudood Ordinances have all failed. Ironically, President Musharraf's government has introduced many reforms to help women: 33 per cent of local government seats, for example, are reserved for women and 17 per cent in the provincial and national assemblies. It has probably gone further than any previous government -- including those of PM Benazir Bhutto -- to empower women. But women's rights groups complain that the government is not genuinely committed to addressing injustices faced by women. Citing the president's latest comments as proof, they have staged angry demonstrations against him. Mukhtara Mai's response was: "A large number of women are molested and insulted in the country. How many of them have made money? Such thinking about women is not good." Musharraf's remarks have also been condemned internationally. The Canadian prime minister complained to him on the sidelines of the UN Summit. Perhaps surprised by the strong reaction his comments aroused, President Musharraf has been engaged in a damage- control exercise. While rejecting calls that he make a public apology, he claimed that the Washington Post misquoted him and took his remarks out of context -- both charges strongly denied by the newspaper, which tape-recorded the whole interview. Musharraf has also tried to apply the spin that his comments were not what he personally thought -- but what a lot of people in Pakistan think. So far no one is fooled.
