Feminist Movement In Pakistan

Throughout the history of this world, women have been neglected, suppressed and trodden down upon in an effort to systematically reduce them to a level lower than men for objectification as well as exploitation. However women’s groups and movements have fought against this oppression and for the equality of women to grant them suffrage, free will, a respectable place in society as well as a chance to make something out of themselves. This is the ethos of feminism and the feminist movement which has its roots in 18th century in France. This earliest feminism emerged after and influenced by the French Revolution and the American War of Independence. Both supported values of liberty and equality. French Feminists campaigned that the revolution's

This is sadly a very far cry from the truth but then anything in Pakistan which does not suit the popular and corrupt mindset is usually deemed an agenda of some foreign white hall of power which forever hangs over us in our imaginations. This new modern liberating mindset as it is painted has been around ever since the days of Fatima Jinnah who fought for women’s rights throughout her life. Rana liaqut Ali Khan who founded the “United front for women’s rights” was another pioneer in activism in those days. In fact the early days of the feminism were met with great success as women not only achieved the right to vote but made it part of the constitution to have representation reserved for them in the parliament from 1956 to 1973. After this, came Bhutto era, and this really opened up all government services to women including the district management group and the foreign service (in the civil service), which had been denied to them earlier. About 10 percent of the seats in the National Assembly and 5 percent in the provincial assemblies were reserved for women in this era. The 73 constitution which is often and rabidly quoted by all and ball in our land specifically states that “there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone”. The

The second issue gained considerable attention during the regime of Zia-ul-Haq (1977-88). Urban women formed groups to protect their rights against apparent discrimination under Zia’s Islamization program. It was in the highly visible realm of law that women were able to articulate their objections to the Islamization program initiated by the government in 1979. Protest against that 1979 Enforcement of Huddod Ordinances focused on the failure of hudood ordinances to distinguish between adultery (zina) and rape (zina-bil-jabar.) a man could be convicted of zina only if he were actually observed committing the offense by other men, but a woman could be convicted simply because she became