The Politics of Acid Attacks in Pakistan

Ahsan Butt wrote: "Something is definitely wrong with this picture - literally and metaphorically.
One acid-burn victim leaped to her death. One acid-burn perpetrator sits comfortably in his home. And one-acid burn perpetrator’s cousin is presenting prizes to a documentarian whose Oscar-winning film was about acid-burning women.”

According to Washington Post, Fakhra Younus, a prominent acid attack victim in the country has committed suicide in Italy. Tehmina Durrani, who helped Fakhra wrote that:
"... she (Fakhra) also felt forgotten."
Fakhra's death has brought her life back into the discussion and has uncovered many of the ills that the Pakistani society holds dear. Her life is actually the real story of Pakistan - which shows how the system plays with the lives of common people. Fakhra is a window to look at the life of women ( a common woman , that is). Fakhra's life tells us how women are manipulated at every single stage, mercilessly by hypocritic and shameless Pakistani elites in particular and men in general. Fakhra's life also cries out loud for the survivors of acid attacks, these women have been used again and again by the rich and famous - a good source of money making via so-called philanthropy to attract foreign donors and that is exactly what happened and what continues to happen in Pakistan.

(left) Fakhra before acid attack, (right) Fakhra with Durrani (Photo:Times Magazine)

Fakhra Younus, was attacked by her husband Bilal Khar - who had spilled acid on her face after they split up. Her husband Bilal is from one of the most influential families of Pakistan. He was an ex - member of parliament (the Punjab Assembly), the son of famous Pakistani politician Ghulam Mustafa Khar (who also married and divorced 6 times), brother of the super model Aaminah Haq and the cousin of Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar - an interesting combo - isn't it??

Bilal Khar maintains that he was not behind the attack (this is what all attackers say in Pakistan and get away with it too), though it is widely believed that he used his political influence to evade arrest, according to the Asian Correspondent. Most important aspect is that the victim - Fakhra Younus, claimed that Bilal Khar threw acid on her and never changed her statement until her death . All she ever wanted was justice but justice was denied to her because justice serves the rich here. The accused is a free man like many others who share the same background with him (power, politics and money). We must NOT forget that criminals roam free in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and are also hailed as heroes (may be due to the shortage of role models that this country could produce). Pakistan is not just a heaven for domestic/home-grown criminals but terrorists/ criminals of international fame ( the Most Wanted by inter-pol with heavy bounties on their head) live happily ever after in this land of the pure. Money has replaced God to quite an extent and hence 'God-fearing' is more of a mythical concept here.

When it come to acid attack victims - one famous name is that of Musarrat Misbah -a beautician who was under criminal investigation for misusing donations of the NGO - Depilex Smile Again Foundation (DSAF) - set up to help acid attack victims with its parent NGO: Smile Again - Italy. Maybe at some point her heart would have been at the right place but down the lane her mind was NOT. This project , DSAF - was embroiled in mismanagement of huge donations from foreign countries. The Italian NGO, Smile Again - Italy - have annulled all ties with DSAF-Pakistan. Massive fraud in millions of dollars is the reason of the rift. For more read here at Foreign Policy and here. The author, Nikolaj Neilson writes:

"Masarrat Misbah....[turned out as] a fraud who pocketed the money she collected to help these women. In 2006, she received over $3 million to build a hospital specialized for acid burn victims. An altruistic landowner gave her, without charge, the land to construct the hospital... but nothing had been done in this regard.

Manzar Mian, a former coordinator at the foundation, began to suspect something was up. The money continues to arrive in cash only. There is no trace. Mian says over $ 1 million is missing. Authorities ask Misbah to hand over the accounts. But the books are gone. Stolen says Misbah."

This story of Musarrat Misabah has a lot in common with the story of Greg Mortenson author of "Three Cups of Tea" fame - set in Pakistan. How Moretenson's NGO - Central Asia Institute - (mis)used donations for the personal gains/ advertising/travelling etc. solely for the author in question. Interestingly, both Misbah and Mortenson have been awarded Pakistan's highest civil award for their services to Pakistan. Well, Greg Mortenson's saga deserves a long/separate post but what is common between his work and Depilix's Smile Again Foundation's work is the faces and images used to collect money. Moreover, the donations rarely reached those nameless, faceless girls - in both the cases.
Good causes are bound to lose their character when only ONE PERSON is on the driving seat, money is involved and where transparency is little or non-existent. This is Pakistan's tragedy that in its entire history we lacked transparency everywhere. People like Misbah and Mortenson - who became the voice of the voiceless and face of the faceless actually never tried to empower the people who they were representing, never provided them a platform to raise their own voice and face the world. Probably, maladfide intentions may be one of the reasons. Class action suits have been filed against Mortenson in USA BUT Musarrat Misbah - in Pakistan - well, she will get away with everything - by just pulling strings of those in power but I wonder:

• when will justice be served to countless Fakhra's of Pakistan?


• what will shake and wake Pakistanis up if not this Fakhra?


• will these horrific lives only become another interesting media story but will continue to fail to garner the real sympathies of the masses, outcry from them or change the mindset of the people?


• what will outrage Pakistanis if not this OR is seeing is unbelieving here?


• when will these voiceless and faceless women will be empowered to uncover the faces of ugly Pakistanis?


• how long do we have to wait to exist as a visible woman with respect in Pakistan?

As for Fakhra - death end her miserable life in Pakistan and Italy. I wonder why for 13 years she could NOT meet her sister (whom she was desperate to see) or any other family member? Arranging such a trip was not a big deal but definitely the socio-political implications of such a meeting could lead to drastic results for the Khars (may be). What is the real role of Haji Allah Din in Italy - was he the neighbor or was he a watchman over Fakhra? Who is this Haji Allah Din Rome-walla? Why Fakhra had to request her neighbor Haji to call somebody in the media in Pakistan and why she did not acted by herself, as Durrani wrote in her article that Fakhra was fluent in Italian - she could call-collect? Fakhra was indeed a warrior against injustice in Pakistan and if she kept fighting for 13 years what lead her to commit suicide? What circumstances, threats and fears made her lose her life? There is much, much more than that which needs investigation!!!
All this will be buried soon and will be forgotten as if nothing happened - ironic!
May Fakhra Rest in Peace - she lef behind a son, Nauman and her book: Il Volto Cancellato ( a must read).

For further reading:
The Woman who Died Twice (by Reuters' Myra Mac Donald)
Life and Death of an Acid Attack Victim (by The News, Tehmina Durrani's article).
The Evil that Men Do (by Times Magazine, Hannah Bloch)
Misuse of Funds by Deplix - Smile Again - Pakistan.
Smile Again Pakistan Controversy (Criminal Investigation) - Videos.
Musarrat Mibah Misused Funds in Millions for Acid Attack Victims (by The News, Umer Cheema)
Whither Justice (by Dawn, Ishtiaq Mehtri tells how Bilal Khar, the absconder/main accused of acid attack dodged the justice system ) this article was written on Feb.28, 2002).

Women's Day Today!

It's Women's Day today and in many countries of the former Eastern Bloc and the former Soviet Union - it is one of the most important of holidays and is celebrated in a big way.
It has been over 100 years that this day is celebrated but times, situations and regions have brought different meaning to this day.
It was Clara Zetkin who first organized the Women's day.
What does this day means for a Pakistani woman?
In my view she is harrassed, abused and struggles to survive with honour - every day of her life, in Pakistan. What these women have to go through can be read here in Urdu.
Accroding to a report in BBC, crimes aganist women in Pakistan have doubled in a year. So have the cases of violence against women such as acid attacks and honour killings.
No wonder in a society where killing a woman in the name of honour is seen with respct and is considered an honourable act - where are we heading in Pakistan?
Pakistan has over the years become one of the most dangerous place for women to live and I can't agree with it more.
Anyhow, I salute all the women and particularly women in Pakistan who inspite all odds are moving ahead and making a much needed difference in many ways and are inspiring us around the world.

Parveen Saeed: A Beautiful Mind

Khana Ghar (photo courtesy by DAWN News)

News defines life in Pakistan. It is not just a means to inform about important issues and events but here it highlights the most petty of events that do not fit in the equation of responsible jouranlism or ethics of journalism or even 'newsworthy' per se.
Against the odds, story of Parveen Saeed, has been around for a while and despite the fact that major newspapers have highlighted Parveen's story but once again,  Wusatullah Khan Niazi of BBC Urdu, has done the most incredible stories on Pakistan - to refresh a story of hope, of determination and of change within the Pakistani society. We should repeat the motivational stories because we as a nation have a very short term memory and we tend to forget very easily.This story is against the usual current and flow of doing journalism in Pakistan. Here I would like to share Parveen's mission of life ( To fight Hunger) which was covered by BBC Urdu :  Parveen Saeed, a middle class, Karachiite - who is feeding the hungry for Rs.3/- only. What drove her for the cause?

A couple of years ago, Parveen heard about a woman who killed her two children because she could not even afford a meal in days - this woman lost her battle against hunger. This lead Parveen to move from a rather better neighborhood to really a poor neighborhood and started a kitchen called : Khana Ghar - A Soup Kitchen sort of a facility where one has to pay Rs. 3/- (three-ruppee-meal)  which in dollars (USD) can be broken down to about  one cent for a proper meal. In the beginning - she and her family chipped in money from their own pocket and then they spread the message through friends and family and further to  schools and colleges. With time people started to come to her to donate what they could for her kitchen because they knew that the money will be used rightly.

There are hundreds and thousands of philanthropic organizations providing free food but she still charges a cent: why is that? She replied, "....she wants to send a message that when people buy or pay even a little they will NOT misuse food and second: the logic of keeping a very low price will in turn drive people to work enough to get this meal - hence, changing their perspective on life". She also said that her organization never returned any hungry person away even if they could not pay! She said that even if this is a great cause and she is trying her best however, she can not bring an end to hunger! It is possible only if we change our thinking  as a nation and that change will drive away hunger or malpractises or disease etc. with which our society is plagued with. It has more to do with the citizen's responsibility at a national level.

Hats off to Parveen Saeed and her modest yet very noble cause!

Her work was full of hurdles. Her charitable programs of Khana Ghar and Dawa Ghar (medical facility)  have been repeatedly attacked by the local gangsters and police have refused to even file a report or help her according to  Asian Human Rights Commision's Report here!

I think it is the Politics of Tandoor or of  Roti, Kapara and Makan (food, clothing and housing idea of Z.A. Bhutto) in Pakistan  which has dragged her program and efforts into this, which others see as threat hence, she saw a lot of resistance within the community where she was trying to help. .

Khana Ghar's website.

도가니/Dogani (The Crucible: True Story of a Hearing-impaired Rape Victim)

The movie "도가니/Dogani"  with its English title "The Crucible" is one of the most watched movies in South Korea since its release and has been getting a lot of international attention as well. It is based on a true story of a 13 year old deaf school girl raped by a school official. This film had a huge impact on public and has tapped into widespread anger over official reluctance to take sexual crimes seriously, and over how justice is served, or not, in South Korea.

In The New York Times article, the author mentioned that the head of the Supreme Court admitted that “society is simmering with resentment” toward a legal system long criticized as “yujeonmujoe mujeonnyujoe,” or “not guilty for the rich, guilty for the poor.”

Film Poster

This movie reminds me of an endless list of brave women from Pakistan like Mukhtaran Mai, Sajjida, Dr. Shazia Khalid and many others who have been the victims and have been seeking  justice until today. Here it is important to note that in a male chauvinistic and patricarchal society of Pakistan, it is the women who are giving hope to the other women in Pakistan as Kristof puts it...and men (generally), they are just on the other side of the fence, most of the time.

Last week, I saw a brief news piece that a 5 years old deaf girl was gang raped in Punjab and the most unfortunate thing is that both her parents are also deaf  and are living in extreme poverty...I wonder, what has the government done to help the victim and her family and has justice been served? Here in Pakistan, every single day, we hear of rapes, of harrassements, of abuses, of human rights violation against women in particular but generally - people do NOT react the way they should. I think that the entire population must be on the streets to protest such heinous crimes but unfortunatley everything is taken very very casually here, hardly anyone was punished. 

The only thing I cherished living outside Pakistan was "safety and respect as a woman" from men overseas. Last week, Dr, Fauzia Saeed put it in a humorous way while hosting a live show at Lok Virsa that: "Celebrating [Rural]Women today means that out of 365 days, just one day, we hope that we will be spared from those hundreds of eyes staring at us, following us 24/7, giving us a feeling of being watched and making us uncomfortable - almost always -  in Pakistan" - sarcastic yet deep! I NEVER had this feeling anywhere else and I wonder why?

Related Article below:

Korea Times