In search of identity
In search of identity The establishment of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly in Pakistan.
Meraj Hamayun Khan MPA is a
Memberof the Legislature and Chairperson of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in the Khyber PakhtunkhwaAssembly in Pakistan. Starting her political careerin 1996 byjoining the newly createdTehrik i Insaf as the provincial president of its women’s wing, she later joined the Qaumi Watan Partyand was elected on reserved seats forwomen. Elected as the Chairperson of the Women’s ParliamentaryCaucus in May2016, since then she has worked tirelesslyto make it an effective forum. Known forherinnovative social projects forwomen and children, she is the founderof the NGO, De Laas Gul.
The north-west region of Pakistan is a province known for its majestic mountains and picturesque valleys inhabited by a people famed for their hospitality, gallantry and physical beauty. This is the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan on the Western side, touching Kashmir to the North, Punjab on the eastern side and Balochistan and Sindh to the south. The total area is 74,521km2 with two geographical regions, the northern mountainous areas and the trans-Indus plain and minor mountains to the south. The total population of 22,120,132 is predominantly of the valiant Pakhtuns but other groups, not less admirable, are also present all over the province. It is this diversity in the population and the resulting cultural patterns combined with the changing seasons, different land formations, multiplicity of flora and fauna, and mouthwatering cuisine that make the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, one of the most attractive regions of the world. Add to this its strategic geographical location and you comprehend why there has been so much ‘traffic’ here for different reasons which continues till this day. For the purpose of this article only the Pakhtun population and its norms, beliefs, traditions and culture will be the focus in relation to their impact on the advancement of women. Like all tribal and
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patriarchal communities, the Pakhtuns also are very protective of their women. But this ‘protection’ has nothing to do with the safeguarding of the lives of women out of love and care. Women are actually considered precious belongings as they are regarded the symbols of Honour of the family. It is incumbent on a woman to be chaste and pure and fully protect herself and the family from critical and abusive comments. Pakhtun women temperamentally are as strong and reactive as their men but years of subjugation and training in servility negatively affect their self-confidence and self-esteem. They spend their lives in the small mud houses, rearing children and performing tedious chores from morning till the whole family goes to sleep. Sensitivity to her long working hours, ill health and physical needs is sadly missing. Denied her rights to good health, an education, a right to inheritance and access to markets and public space, the Pakhtun woman is reduced to a ghost, invisible to the public but busy all the time like a robot without understanding her own importance, her individuality, her identity and her rights to live a life of her own choice. The literacy rate for women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 36% compared to a rate of 72% for men. There is a vast difference (3:1 approximately) between the participation in education of urban
and rural women. Furthermore, the women in the Pakhtun tribal belt are still at a dismal 12% literacy rate. The poor literacy rate is one of the factors that negatively affects women’s participation in development activities of the province. Early marriage is another restrictive factor as girls discontinue their education adding to the high percentage of school dropouts. Early marriage and frequent pregnancies complicate the multiple issues caused by strict adherence to norms and customs imposed by men. Recent years have seen governments investing more in female education resulting in a slight improvement in the literacy figures and social status of women. However while the social and economic sectors have seen an upsurge of women’s participation, politically they are still shy and hesitant to join in because of pressure from their male members as well as their poor financial status. In Pakistan, as elsewhere in the world, politics and funds are synonymous. Without money, it is impossible to adopt politics as a career. Historically too politics is also by tradition looked upon as a totally male sector as it is associated with the ‘Hujra’, the institution for male gatherings only. It is here that all planning and politicking take place. Another institution where women are barred and where men gather and exchange ideas is the mosque. Women have no