Acquittal of five of the six men convicted in the famous 2002 Mukktar Mai gang-rape case in Pakistan has raised renewed threats on her life.


Pak Supreme Court acquits five of the six convicts

Kolkata-based The Statesman ran a report on April 28, Mukhtar Mai fears for her life, which said:

“In a shocking judgment earlier this month, the Pakistan Supreme Court acquitted five of the six men accused of gangraping Mukhtar Mai in 2002. She was gang raped on the orders of a village council after her younger brother ~ then aged only 12 ~ was wrongly “accused” of having relations with a woman from a rival clan. The brutality of her case stirred the world and though she has been offered support and sympathy from all parts of the world, the latest judgment has shocked all, including Mukhtar Mai herself.” [1]

Initially, thirteen men were accused of involvement in her gang-rape. They have been freed from a prison after their acquittal was upheld by Pakistan's Supreme Court. The Lahore High Court had initially ordered the release of the 13 accused in 2005. Mukhtaran Bibi had challenged the High Court's order in an application filed in the Supreme Court. The apex court upheld the High Court's decision last week and said the accused should be freed if they were not wanted in any other cases. However, the Supreme Court upheld the life imprisonment awarded to Abdul Khaliq, described as the main culprit in the case. [2]

While speaking exclusively to The Statesman in Urdu from Pakistan, Mukhtar Mai expressed deep sorrow and grief over the Supreme Court ruling. She said, “The police reports are wrong and then the judges pass rulings based on the wrong reports.” She expressed her agony on the fact that local politicians of her area, belonging to Pakistan’s ruling party, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), are aware of the entire episode, but they are also against her and have offered her no support or legal assistance. She is now "afraid of her life".

She also said that the Supreme Court ruling will reinforce conviction of the local tribe and religious mullahs to carry on such horrific activities fearlessly. “The incidences of rape, in fact, had gone down in the area after I filed the complaint. But now this judgment will embolden these people to commit more such crimes,” she added.

It should be noted that during General Pervez Musharraf’s regime, Mukhtar Mai was not allowed to travel abroad as it was apprehended by the Pakistani authorities that her case would project a negative image of Pakistan across the world. But at present, her passport has been returned to her and since 2005, the restrictions that had been imposed on her travel abroad have been lifted.

The Mukhtar Mai case

Mukhtaran Bibi, aka Mukhtār Mā'ī, from the village of Meerwala in Muzaffargarh District of Pakistan, Mukhtār Mā'ī was the victim of a gang rape as a form of honour revenge, on the orders of a panchayat (tribal council) of the local Mastoi Baloch clan.

In June, 2002, Mukhtar’s adolescent brother Shaqoor (then 12-year-old) was suspected and accused by the Mastoi, a rich and influential clan, of committing fornication with a Mastoi woman, Salma, aka Nasim (at the trial, the accusation was judged to be unsupported). On Saturday, June 22, 2002, Shaqoor was kidnapped by Mastoi men and taken to the residence of the main defendant, Abdul Khaliq, Salma's brother. (Shaqoor testified in separate trial that he had been abducted by three Mastoi men, each of whom sodomized him in a sugarcane field, and the attackers were convicted).

However, to settle the matter, Mukhtaran's family proposed marriage between Shakoor and Salma to the Mastoi clan, and marriage of Mukhtaran to one of the Mastoi men. But the Mastoi chiefs refused the offer and insisted that illicit sex must be settled with illicit sex according to the principle of an eye-for-an-eye. Afterward, Abdul Khaliq armed with a 30-caliber pistol forcibly took Mukhtaran into a stable where she was gang raped. After about an hour inside, she was pushed outside wearing only a torn qameez (long shirt). To make an example of her so as not to defy the local authorities, she was paraded naked in front of hundreds of onlookers on the orders of the chiefs.

Her father covered her up with a shawl and took her home. Her clothes were presented as evidence in court and following the medical examination of Mukhtaran and chemical analysis of her clothes at least two semen stains were revealed. Mukhtaran and her family lodged report with the Jatoi police station on June 30. While such violated rural women normally commit suicide, she spoke up and pursued the case. International media picked the horror story, which forced the government of president Musharraf to take action against the culprit.

Now that five out of the six convicted culprits have been acquitted, Mukhtar Mai’s life is under renewed threats. In a Muslim society, women are expected to remain submissive and silently bear all oppressions committed on them. But Mukhtar Mai’s protest and taking the case to court naturally enraged the local community leaders and this has put her safety in jeopardy. Furthermore, Mukhtar has incurred fierce enmity of the ulama by founding a new organization, Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization, to help, support and educate helpless Pakistani women and girls, thus emerging as an outspoken advocate for women's rights.

After release of five convicts, Mukhtar Mai's life is under severe threat, as freed culprits may retaliate against her. In this context, it may be recalled that the New York Times reported on April 8, 2007 that Mukhtar Mai lives in fear of her life from the Pakistan government and local feudal lords, because she has not only pursued the case to punish the rapists, but the publicity of her case also hurt the image of Pakistan internationally. Mukhtar Mai, however, emphasized that her intention was not to project Pakistan in a negative light, but she only tried to take steps so that such atrocities against Muslim women may not happen in Pakistan or other Islamic countries. She wanted to inspire Muslim women around the world to unite and fight for their rights.

Mukhtar-Mai-and-husband-Gabol
Mukhtar Mai (right) with husband Nasir Abbas Gabol
(wedding picture, 2009)

As recognition of her fearless fight against the extremely odd forces for women’s rights, in April 2007, Mukhtar Mai won the North-South Prize from the Council of Europe. In 2005, Glamour Magazine named her the "Glamour Woman of the Year". According to the New York Times, "Her autobiography is the No. 3 best seller in France and movies are being made about her, and she has been praised by dignitaries like Laura Bush and the French foreign minister".

A report appeared in The New York Times on March 17, 2009, said that she has married a police constable in a simple ceremony. In a telephone interview Ms. Mukhtar, 37, said her new husband is a police constable (30), who was assigned to guard her in the wake of the attack and who has been asking for her hand for several years. The BBC news, covering her marriage with Nasir Abbas Gabol, wrote, “She is his second wife. Mukhtar Mai wed a policeman who is still married to another woman. He threatened to divorce his first wife if she did not marry him. Ms Mai said she decided to do so to avoid family break-up.” [3]

The oppression suffered by Mukhtar Mai is suffered by thousands women in the Muslim world. The incidents that are reported constitute only the tip of the iceberg. While her pursuance of justice for the crime committed upon her was really commendable, the renewed threat on her life by the culprits now released from prison is a grave concern. The UN High Commission for Human Rights and other NGOs fighting for human rights across the world should put pressure on the Pakistan government to ensure her security. The government should take necessary steps so that she could continue a normal life.

References

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13158001

http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=367774&catid=35

[2] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/13-accused-in-mukhtaran-mai-rape-case-freed-from-pak-prison/782301/

[3] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7947458.stm

Comments powered by CComment

Joomla templates by a4joomla