Mukhtaran Bibi

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Mukhtaran Bibi now as Mukhtar Mai

Mukhtaran Bibi, Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year 2005
Born Meerwala, Pakistan
Nationality Pakistani
Known for International Symbol of struggle for Women rights
Religious beliefs Sunni Islam
Spouse(s) Nasir Abbas Gabol (m. 2009–present) «start: (2009)»"Marriage: Nasir Abbas Gabol to Mukhtaran Bibi" Location: (linkback:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhtaran_Bibi)

Mukhtaran Bibi (Punjabi, Urdu: مختاراں بی بی, born c. 1972, now known as Mukhtār Mā'ī, مختار مائی) is a Pakistani woman from the village of Meerwala, in the rural tehsil (county) of Jatoi of the Muzaffargarh District of Pakistan. Mukhtar Mai suffered a gang rape as a form of honour revenge, on the demands of tribesmen — or by some accounts, on the orders of a panchayat (tribal council) — of a local Mastoi Baloch clan that was richer and more powerful than Mukhtaran's clan, the Gujjar Tatla. By custom, rural women are expected to commit suicide after such an event. [1] [2] [3]Instead, she spoke up, and using word of mouth, took her case to court, where her rapists were arrested and charged. She spent the money awarded to her by the Pakistani government following the court case, to open a center for refugee and education, the Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization.[4]

In April 2007, Mukhtar Mai won the North-South Prize from the Council of Europe.[5] In 2005, Glamour Magazine named her "Glamour Woman of the Year".[6] According to the New York Times, "Her autobiography is the No. 3 best seller in France ... movies are being made about her, and she has been praised by dignitaries like Laura Bush and the French foreign minister".[7] However, on April 8, 2007, the New York Times reported that Mukhtar Mai lives in fear for her life from the Pakistan government and local feudal lords.[8] General Pervez Musharraf, the former president of Pakistan, has admitted on his personal blog[9] that he placed restrictions on her movement in 2005, as he was fearful that her work, and the publicity it receives, hurt the international image of Pakistan.

According to the New York Times, Mukhtar Mai, her friends, colleagues and their families are at great risk from violence by local feudal lords, and/or the government of Pakistan.

Contents

[edit] Rape incident

News accounts of the rape incident vary. The account that follows is based on the testimonies of witnesses in the court that sentenced Mukhtaran's rapists to death, supplemented with details from the text of the Lahore High Court judgement.

Mukhtaran testified that in June her adolescent brother Shaqoor was suspected and accused by the Mastoi of committing ziadti (rape, sodomy or illegal sex) or zina (fornication or adultery) with a Mastoi girl, Salma, also known as Nasim. At the trial, the judge commented that the accusation was unsupported

Early in the afternoon of Saturday, June 22, 2002, Shaqoor was abducted by three Mastoi men. He was taken that afternoon to the residence of the main defendant, Abdul Khaliq, Salma's brother. (Shaqoor testified that he had been abducted by three Mastoi men, each of whom sodomized him in a sugarcane field. The court determined, based on a doctor's testimony, that Shaqoor had indeed been sodomized and assaulted. His attackers were convicted in a separate trial.).[10]

Shaqoor shouted for help while being taken into Abdul Khaliq's house, and his relatives heard his cries. Mukhtaran, her mother, and other women of the house rushed outside, where several Mastoi men told them that Shaqoor had committed ziadti with Salma. The women went immediately to Abdul Khaliq's house to demand his release, but Abdul Khaliq refused. Mukhtaran's mother then sent her brother to get the police. There were no telephones or police in Meerwala, and the Jatoi police station was 18 km to the north over dirt roads.

Some members of Mukhtar's clan, the Gujjar Tatla, assembled. They were told that their kinsman Shakoor had been held by the Mastoi because he had been accused of committing ziadti or zina with Salma. Separately, about 200 to 250 Mastoi gathered outdoors, less than a hundred meters from Abdul Khaliq's house. According to some accounts, a Mastoi tribal council formed, consisting of three defendants: Ramzan Pachar, G.F. Mastoi and a Mastoi clan chief, Faiz M. Mastoi, also known as Faiza or Faizan.

The police arrived before sunset, freed Shaqoor from the Mastoi, and took him to a police station and held him, pending a possible sex crime charge against him. At the High Court trial, the defense contended that prosecution witnesses could not have seen some of the things that they had claimed to see in the darkness (the village had virtually no electric power service).

Mukhtaran's family proposed to settle the matter with the Mastoi by marrying Shakoor to Salma, and marrying Mukhtaran to one of the Mastoi men, and - if Shakoor was found to be at fault - to give some land to Salma's family. This proposal was conveyed to Faizan, the Mastoi elder. According to some of the prosecution witnesses, Faizan was initially agreeable, but two men of Salma's family - defendants Ramzan Pachar and G.F. Mastoi - refused and demanded revenge of zina for zina. Some other Mastoi men allegedly joined them in this demand. Ramzan Pachar and G.F. Mastoi then came to Mukhtaran's family, and told them that the Mastoi would accept the proposed settlement if she would personally come and apologize to Salma's family and the Mastoi akath. She went to the Mastoi gathering with her father and maternal uncle. By the time they arrived, the assembly had dwindled to about 70 people. Faizan stated that the dispute was settled and Mukhtaran's family should be "forgiven."

The accused rapists of Mukhtar Mai

Immediately afterward and less than a hundred meters from the akath, 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). The rest of her clothes were thrown out with her. Her father covered her up and took her home. (The 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.[11]) That same night, the police were informed that the two clans had settled their dispute, and that Salma's family was withdrawing its complaint against Shaqoor. His uncle retrieved him from the police station around 2 or 3 a.m.

The following week, a local Muslim imam (mosque prayer leader), Abdul Razzaq, condemned the rape in his sermon on the Friday after it occurred. He brought a local journalist, Mureed Abbas, to meet Mukhtaran's father, and persuaded the family to file charges against the rapists.

Mukhtaran and her family went to the Jatoi police station on June 30, 2002 to file charges.

[edit] Media coverage

In the next few days, the story became headline news in Pakistan, and remained so for months. Many versions of the story were reported in the days that followed, and variances persist to this day.

By 3 July, the BBC had picked up on the story.[12] Time magazine ran a story on the case in mid-July.[13] Major international newspapers and networks reported on developments in the case.

[edit] Government reactions

Early in July, 2002, Pakistan's Chief Justice called Mukhtaran's rape the most heinous crime of the twenty first century. He summoned senior police officials and castigated them for incompetence in their handling of the case.

The Government of Pakistan awarded Mukhtaran with a sum of 500,000 rupees (8,200 U.S. dollars) on 5 July 2002. Mukhtaran reportedly told Attiya Inayatullah, the Women’s Development Minister who gave her the cheque that she "would have committed suicide if the government had not come to her help."[14]

[edit] Court verdicts

[edit] Anti-Terrorist Court

Mukhtaran's attackers, and the Mastoi of the so-called panchayat that conspired in her rape, were sentenced to death by the Dera Ghazi Khan Anti-Terrorist Court.

An Anti-Terror Court (ATC) is a type of court in Pakistan that specializes in prosecuting cases related to terror or mass intimidation. ATCs in Pakistan have been criticized by human rights organizations for having lower standards of proof and evidence than regular courts—ATCs admit hearsay as evidence, and do not require guilt to be proven to the reasonable doubt standard.

The ATC venue was ruled appropriate in this case because the Mastoi had intimidated and terrorized (and continue to threaten) Mukhtaran's clan and the people of the area. The Anti-Terrorist Court convicted six men and sentenced them to death on 31 August 2002.

After the conviction of her attackers, Mukhtaran became a symbol for advocates for the health and security of women in her region, attracting both national and international attention to these issues. Mukhtaran used the award money, she had received from Pakistani Government, to build two local schools, one for girls and another for boys. There were no schools for girls in Mukhtaran's village before this and she never had the opportunity to get an education. Some Western donors have also come forward with contributions.

[edit] Lahore High Court

Although the Anti-Terrorism Courts had originally been conceived as a way to provide swift and conclusive convictions for heinous crimes, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that ATC verdicts could be appealed in Pakistan's regular court system, which has higher evidentiary standards. The six convicted men appealed to the Lahore High Court.

On 3 March 2005 five of the six men sentenced to death were acquitted on appeal by the Lahore High Court, the highest court of the Punjab province, in part because of the inadmissibility of key pieces of evidence.[15] The Pakistani government decided to appeal the acquittal, and Mukhtaran asked the court not to order the release of the five men, who then remained in detention under a law that allows for a 90-day detention without charges.[16][17]

[edit] Legal representation

Mukhtaran has been represented by panels of lawyers. One such team is headed by Pakistan's Attorney General, Makhdoom Ali Khan. Another panel is led by Aitzaz Ahsan, a lawyer and politician belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party, who has been representing Mukhtaran pro bono. However, her rapists were found not guilty. Advocate, Malik Muhammad Saleem, won this case against Mukhtaran Bibi and the accused were released. Shariat Court in Pakistan decided to overrule this decision of Punjab High Court and the accused were caught again. The very next day Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that the Shariat Court did not have the authority to overrule the decision and decided to hear this case in the Supreme Court.

[edit] Retrial of rapists

The Lahore high court ruled on 6 June 2005 that the accused men could be released on payment of a 50,000 rupees ($840) bond. However, the men were unable to come up with the money, and remained in jail while the prosecution appealed their acquittal.[18] Just over two weeks later, the Supreme Court intervened and suspended the acquittals of the five men as well as the eight who were acquitted at the original 2002 trial. All 14 would be retried in the Supreme Court.[19]

[edit] Mukhtar Mai’s work

Mukhtar Mai began to work to educate girls, and to promote education with a view towards raising awareness to prevent future honor crimes. Out of this work grew the organization Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization. The Goals of MMWWO are to help the local community, especially women, through education and other projects. The main focus of her work is to educate young girls, and to educate the community about women’s rights and gender issues. Her organization teaches young girls, and tries to make sure they stay in school, rather than work or get married. In Fall 2007, a high school will be started by her group. The MMWWO also provides shelter and legal help for people, often women, who are victims of violence or injustice.[20]

Mukhtar Mai's story is covered in Terence McKenna's documentary about sexual violence in Pakistan, Land, Gold and Women.

[edit] Awards and acclaim

  • On 2 August 2005, the Pakistani government awarded Mukhtaran the Fatima Jinnah gold medal for bravery and courage.[21]
  • 2 November 2005, The US magazine Glamour named Mukhtaran as their Woman Of The Year.[22]
  • 12 January 2006, Mukhtaran Mai published her memoir with the collaboration of Marie-Thérèse Cuny under the title "Déshonorée".[23] The originating publisher of the book is OH ! Editions in France and her book is published simultaneously in German by Droemer Verlag under the title "Die Schuld, eine Frau zu sein".
  • January 16, 2006, to coincide with the publication of her memoir, Mukhtaran Mai travelled to Paris (France) and was received by Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.[24]
  • 2 May 2006, Mukhtaran spoke at the United Nations headquarters in New York. In an interview with United Nations TV, Mai said that "she wanted to get the message across to the world that one should fight for their rights and for the rights of the next generation."[25] She was welcomed by UN Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor, who said, “I think it is fair to say that anyone who has the moral courage and internal strength to turn such a brutal attack into a weapon to defend others in a similar position, is a hero indeed, and is worthy of our deepest respect and admiration”.[26]
  • 31 October 2006, Mukhtaran's memoir was released in the United States, titled "In the Name of Honor: A Memoir."
  • 15 November 2006, Pakistan's lower house of Parliament voted to alter its rape laws to move them from religious law to penal code, effectively separating rape from adultery. It also modifies the law to no longer require that the victim produce four witnesses of the assault, and it allows circumstantial and forensic evidence be used for investigation. The bill reduced the penalty for adultery from execution to a maximum of five years' incarceration and a 10,000 rupee fine. A modified version of the bill, called the Protection of Women Bill, was signed by Pervez Musharraf in late 2006.[27] Critics of the final version of the law complained that "a judge can still decide whether rape cases will be heard in a civil or an Islamic court. Rape victims will have to report their complaints to district courts, not at local police stations, compelling many to travel long distances. As a result, many will be discouraged."[28] January 24, 2007
  • In March 2007, Mukhtaran formally received the 2006 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe for her contribution to human rights.[29]

[edit] Name on Exit-Control List

On 10 June 2005, shortly before she was scheduled to fly to London on the invitation of Amnesty International, Mukhtaran was put on Pakistan's Exit-Control List (ECL), a list of people prohibited from traveling abroad, a move that prompted protest in Pakistan and around the world.[30][31] President Musharraf was out of the country in Australia and New Zealand, and it was not immediately apparent who had put Mukhtaran's name on the ECL.

On 12 June 2005 Mukhtaran was abruptly asked by the government to travel to Lahore to meet with provincial assemblywoman Shagufta Anwar, and then go to Islamabad to meet with Presidential advisor Nilofer Bakhtiar.[32]

On 13 June 2005, in Lahore, Mukhtaran was spotted by journalists at the Punjab Chief Minister's official mansion, where she had lunch, but they were unable to interview or contact her because her "cellular phone did not respond for hours." She left that afternoon for Islamabad.[33]

On 14 June 2005, at a press conference in Islamabad, Mukhtaran demanded removal of her name from the Exit Control List, and also complained that she was "virtually under house arrest" because of the large police contingent assigned to protect her.[34]

On the same day, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof claimed that she was "under house arrest" and that police had "cut off her land line" to "silence her".[35] However, local telephone service had been interrupted by a telephone workers union strike that week,[36] and service was restored after the Army took control of the telephone exchange in Muzaffargarh district.[37] In the same article, Kristof claimed that Mukhtaran had been "led sobbing to detention at a secret location" and "barred from contacting anyone".[35] In her press conference that week in Islamabad, Mukhtaran clarified that she had not actually been placed under house arrest, but felt as if she had been because of the heavy police protection.

[edit] Mukhtar Mai's passport confiscated

On 19 June 2005, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reported that as Mai returned from the US embassy in Islamabad, after getting her passport stamped with a US visa, it was "confiscated" once again, rendering her unable to travel outside the country.[38] A column by Khalid Hasan in Pakistan's Daily Times called the government's actions "folly" and "ham-fisted", and said that it had "failed abjectly" to support the liberal "convictions it claims to have" with actions.[39]

On 27 June 2005 Mukhtaran's passport was returned to her.[40]

On 29 June 2005, on his official website Musharraf wrote that "Mukhtaran Mai is free to go wherever she pleases, meet whoever she wants and say whatever she pleases."

[edit] 2009 - Current

On December 11, 2008 Mukhtar Mai was informed by Sardar Abdul Qayyum, the sitting Federal Minister for Defence Production, to drop the charge against the accused. According to Mukhtar Mai, the Minister called her uncle Ghulam Hussain to his place in Jatoi and passed on a message to Mukhtar that she should drop the charges against the thirteen accused of the Mastoi tribe, who were involved either in the verdict against Mukhtar or who gang raped her. The Minister said that if she does not comply, he and his associates would not let the Supreme Court’s decision go in favour of Mukhtar. It is believed that the Mastoi clan have political influence of sufficient weight to bring pressure to bear on the supreme court via establishment and political figures.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had listed Mukhtar Mai’s case for hearing in the 2nd week of February 2009 (hearing was expected on 10th or 11th February).[41]


On June 11, 2009, the Multan Electric Power Company raided the MMWWO (Mukhtar Women's Welfare Organization) in Meerwala, Pakistan, disconnecting all electricity to the grounds, falsely accusing the organization of stealing electricity despite records proving they have paid all bills in full. MMWWO and hundreds of families in the surrounding area were without power for several days. Today, while the power to the surrounding area has been restored, the MMWWO grounds, which house the Mukhtar Mai Girls Model School, Women's Resource Centre, and Shelter Home for battered women (whose premises was raided despite the fact that men are strictly prohibited), are still enduring blistering temperatures. According to MMWWWO employees who were witnesses, the power company officials claimed that the raid was ordered by Abdul Qayyum Jatoi, the Federal Minister for Defense Production. This raid has significantly hindered the ability of Ms. Mai's organization to carry out its important human rights work, providing services for vulnerable women, girls and boys.[42]


Hearings for the supreme Court case have repeatedly been delayed, but her attackers remain imprisoned and her case is pending.


[edit] Book

Mukhtaran Bibi's memoir was first published in France by Oh! editions under the title "Déshonorée". It's now published in 23 languages including American by Atria and English Virago under the title "In the name of honor"

[edit] Marriage

On March 15, 2009, Mai married Nasir Abbas Gabol, a police constable from the area near Multan, in Muzaffargarh district, Punjab province. Gabol had previously proposed marriage, but was refused by Mai because he was already married and Mai "didn't want to ruin his first wife's life." Gabol later threatened his first wife, Rukhsana, with divorce and, according to Mai, attempted suicide after the refusal. Gabol's two sisters, also married into Rukhsana's family as part of a bridal exchange (known as Watta satta), were threatened with divorce by their own husbands should Gabol proceed with plans to divorce his wife. Thus, Mai finally agreed to marry Gabol as his second wife "on humanitarian grounds," not wanting three families to break up because of her refusal of marriage[43].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

 This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking. (September 2009)
  1. ^ Sentenced to Be Raped
  2. ^ Pakistani Woman Who Shattered Stigma of Rape Is Married
  3. ^ Pakistani rape survivor turned education crusader honored at UN
  4. ^ "'Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization'". http://www.mukhtarmaiwwo.org. 
  5. ^ "www.coe.int/t/F/Centre_Nord-Sud/Programmes/7_Prix_Nord-Sud/Discours_SG_PNS2006.pdf" (PDF). http://www.coe.int/t/F/Centre_Nord-Sud/Programmes/7_Prix_Nord-Sud/Discours_SG_PNS2006.pdf. 
  6. ^ "2005 Glamour Woman of the Year". http://www.glamour.com/news/listings/articles/2006/10/30/mukhtarmaiupdate. 
  7. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D. "A Heroine Walking in the Shadow of Death", New York Times. April 4, 2006. Accessed March 29, 2008.
  8. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D. "A Woman’s Work Earns Her Enemies", The New York Times, April 8, 2007. Accessed March 29, 2008.
  9. ^ "General Pervez Musharraf - Write to the President: The President Responds". http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/TPRespondsQsComplDetail.aspx?WTPresidentQsID=293. 
  10. ^ Mukhtar Mai - history of a rape case
  11. ^ Mukhtar Mai - history of a rape case
  12. ^ Protests over Pakistan gang rape, BBC, July 3, 2002.
  13. ^ A Violation of Justice, Brian Bennett, Time Magazine, July 8, 2002.
  14. ^ Gang-rape victim narrates ordeal, Dawn, July 6, 2002.
  15. ^ Acquittals in Pakistan gang rape, BBC, March 3, 2005.
  16. ^ Appeal to be filed in Meerwala case, Dawn, March 6, 2005
  17. ^ Mukhtaran Mai seeks stay order to halt execution of LHC verdict, PakTribune, March 7, 2005.
  18. ^ Releases ordered in rape case, BBC, June 10, 2005.
  19. ^ Pakistan rape acquittals rejected, BBC, June 28, 2005.
  20. ^ "Mukhtar Mai Women Welfare Organization". http://www.mukhtarmaiwwo.org. 
  21. ^ Mai denies having millions in her account, Daily Times, August 3, 2005.
  22. ^ The Pakistani who fought back and won, CNN, November 5, 2005.
  23. ^ "Déshonorée". http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/2915056404/sikanderorg-20/. 
  24. ^ Visit of Mukhtaran Mai to France, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, January 16, 2006.
  25. ^ UNTV Mukhtar Mai, 2 MAY 2006
  26. ^ Mukhtaran honoured as ‘hero’ at UN, Dawn, May 4, 2006.
  27. ^ [1] Musharraf Signs Modified Rape Law], December 1, 2006
  28. ^ "Musharraf’s reform of Pakistan’s rape law-a cynical manoeuvre". http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/jan2007/paki-j24.shtml. 
  29. ^ "North-South Prize of the Council of Europe". http://www.coe.int/t/e/north-south_centre/programmes/7_North-South_Prize/default.asp#TopOfPage. 
  30. ^ Mukhtaran on ECL, Dawn, June 11, 2005.
  31. ^ CSOs resent govt decision, Dawn, June 13, 2005
  32. ^ Mukhtaran being shifted to Lahore, Dawn, June 13, 2005.
  33. ^ Mukhtaran pays visit to Lahore, Dawn, June 14, 2005.
  34. ^ Mukhtaran allowed to go abroad, Dawn, June 16, 2005.
  35. ^ a b Raped, Kidnapped and Silenced, Nicholas Kristof, New York Times, June 14, 2005.
  36. ^ Govt sets June 18 for PTCL sell-off: Forces take control of installations; workers reject package, go on strike, Dawn, June 16, 2005.
  37. ^ Govt announces PTCL bidding; Army, Rangers take over installations, Daily Times, June 12, 2005.
  38. ^ A Free Woman, Nicholas Kristof, New York Times, June 19, 2005.
  39. ^ Mukhtar Mai proves Manto right, Khalid Hasan, Daily Times, June 19, 2005
  40. ^ Passport returned to Mukhtaran, Dawn, June 28, 2005.
  41. ^ Pakistan: Political interference in Mukhtar Mai's case should be checked
  42. ^ Women's Rights in Pakistan: Descending into Darkness
  43. ^ "Pakistan rape victim gets married". BBC. 2009-03-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7947458.stm. Retrieved 2009-03-17. 

[edit] External links

[edit] Timelines

[edit] Court judgments

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