April 2009,
“God is not unbiased. He scarcely favors the poor. A middle class family always yearns for a better life while all royals are in utopia.” This and many other thoughts flame her mind whenever she travels through the public transport.
“Amber”. She skids closer to her. “Why these men always put a vile stare at women? Do they think of a woman to be used only for a pleasure-taking instrument?” She whispers in Amber’s ear, showing her the gaze of an aged man through the direction of her eyes.
“All men are same. All they need from us is to quench their filthy lust.” Amber scowls.
“There is no saint for us in this so-called independent country – just obsolete laws.” Despondency flows in Zoya’s voice.
“Have you talked to Maryam? Will she be any favorable to us?” Amber inquires her.
“She won’t be. You better know that she belongs to a class which decides the future of our people. For them, grandiose life is as significant as blood is for veins. Are you naive that she will come out with us?” She tries to persuade Amber with cogent retort.
Amber and Zoya were classmates. They always stood up against the women rights violation. They were agonized by the mistreatment of men in male oriented society. Maryam was also their classmate. She belonged to an affluent family. Grown up playing in the fields of opulence, she never did bother which plight the common woman of Pakistan has been through. Amber and Zoya invited her on couple of occasions but she always disdained. She considered herself being safe in the presence of a gun man who used to escort her to university. She had a belief in the walking theories that nothing could alter the murky face of Pakistan.
September 2010,
The sun was black on the day. The walls of the university trembled by an aghast news. One of the class fellows of Zoya, Amber and Maryam was ruthlessly raped by four men. The victim, Sarah, became the blot of shame for her family. Her innocence lost. Calamity upon calamity was that police and other security departments didn’t show adequate interest in this gruesome incident. The law was tuned to mute. The state undergone dumb. The family of the victim cried for the Heavens to interfere. Another victim had undergone un-noticed, unwept. Sarah couldn’t hold her nerves anymore and she committed suicide. In countries like ours, death is cheaper than the life. So was with Sarah. This incidence shattered Zoya and Amber completely. They found themselves unsafe. This time, but Maryam experienced the feeling of being jolted fiercely; like a beast has clenched the soul of hers. An anonymous phobia started taking breaths in her. Sarah wasn’t close to Maryam but she was pious and innocent like a baby’s babble and that she knew. She, for the first time, understood the torment of a woman. This incident bore the seeds of a protagonist in her. She pledged to herself that she will bring the culprits to justice. Amber and Zoya always have had contributed in women rights activities. This time, she had to lead.
January 2011,
Happiness is a shadow. It can only be seen when we stand tall, honored and respectful. When a society grapples the respect of women, it actually distorts the shadow of happiness. Maryam propelled her university fellows and utilized all her contacts and conducted myriad of press conferences through electronic media. She started writing blogs and articles for newspapers and social media to give a call out to state machinery. Maryam, along with Zoya and Amber demanded culprits be brought to justice. From protests to turbulent meetings with politicians, they didn’t left any option unused. Media got very insular memory. It forgets things as they grow little older; same did happen to this issue. But Maryam had the resilience only scarcely imaginable under the circumstances that she had emerged not only with her sense of self intact but with enough audacity to face the odds created by her own family. The respect of a common woman was on stake. Maryam wanted things to be concluded with a productive solution. She moved to the courts. She demanded a new demand, to constitute a separate court for the execution of these cases; a separate lady police department for handling these crimes. Despite numerous hindrances and obstacles, a group of university students marched towards their own rights protection. Maryam was threatened by various groups but she believed that the time to act is now. She was no more that Maryam she once used to be.
March 2012,
For some, prosperity is a myth; others consider it a constant struggle. A nation can never be progressive and developed when its major populated segment is crushed and humiliated. In Pakistan, women are 51 %. A reality that can’t be secluded either way. A woman is the legacy of Eve and emblem of Fatima (R.A). Today Maryam is upon the mercy of angels. She had been shot down during a procession. Three bullets slashed her liver and spleen. Between the tussle of life and death, she is counting on her last few breaths. In her sub-consciousness, she whispers “Sarah” many a time. But remember, God is not blind, not a deaf either. He listens; He answers.
September 2025,
Today rape cases in Pakistan have fallen off to 80%. Girls’ education has escalated up to 72%. Girls don’t feel dismay in going to their colleges, universities and jobs. This is the endeavor of Maryam, whose legacy was driven by Zoya, Amber and all other girls who stood up for this cause. This is the sacrifice of Sarah, the princess. Today Sarah and Maryam are not among us but they left behind a purpose to respect women. Like Maryam used to say, “Terrorism is a menace for Pakistan. It needs to be solved at national and international front. But women sexual exploitation is our domestic enigma; it ought to be solved in our society.” It was September 2010, when Sarah committed suicide, she didn’t want to. Today, it is September 2025, a woman considers herself safe in Pakistani society. A Pakistani woman is recognized by her shine, not by the shrieks.
