While the rest the of world is busy in fabulous celebrations of International Women’s Day, the downcast, aggrieved and persecuted women of different families spent that particular day helplessly and dolefully under the sky in rain and chilled waves of winds here on Thursday in front of the National Press Club. On the eve of ‘Connecting Girls, Inspiring Future’, different messages from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani were issued and several ceremonies were organised in recognition of emancipation, empowerment and gender-equality of women.
The champions of women and human rights brought women’s odds and ordeals into limelight and made lofty claims of their staunch commitment to ameliorate the plight of women. In the same way, these champions of women and human rights from various non-governmental and governmental organisations including Pattan, Aurat Foundation and special directorate of education and women welfare took out several rallies, organised different ceremonies and arranged walks to highlight the problems of women to put an ostentatious show to the global community.
But none of the so-called champions of women and human rights took pity on the hapless women camped in front of the National Press Club for the last one and half-month in the open sky awaiting for justice. One woman Roshan Bibi along with her daughters and a child amongst the affected families belongs to Peshawar. Talking to Pakistan Today, she said: “In response to media reports and suo-moto notice taken by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Nayaz Ali Shah, the son of her husband’s eldest brother, started threatening them to withdraw their case of land and property from court and warned them of dire consequences as well. He offered us only Rs 0.1 million against the confiscated house gifted to her on her marriage while it has minimum value of almost Rs 1 million.”
Roshan Bibi went on to narrate her tale: “Nayaz Ali Shah and his other brothers with the intention to forfeit her share from inherited property and land, and to usurp the whole money given by National Highway Authority as compensation for the land, got her husband addicted to drugs. Later on, they took possession of the entire piece of land and property through coercion and force”.
She said: “When my son Qasim Shah strived to get the record of his property and land, Nayaz Shah along with his accomplices killed my son in a callous manner and the police refused to lodge an FIR against the criminals and supported them after taking bribe.”
Roshan Bibi said the police even went to the extent of ignoring the notice issued by the President Secretariat. She further said the criminals had confiscated her house and manhandled her young daughters. “Her three youngest daughters have died of hunger and starvation”, Roshan said. “I took refuge in a house near a graveyard that belonged to the cousin of her husband. But Nayaz Ali Shah and his accomplices kicked her daughters out of that house that too under threats of grave consequences”, said Roshin.
“Being depressed by this repression and tyranny, my son Fareed Ullah Shah committed suicide while another son, Zahr Shah, has lost his mental balance”, Roshan said while tears rolling down her cheeks. Her daughter Sumara said: “The criminals have rendered our whole family helpless and homeless.” She appealed to the law-enforcement agencies to provide protection their lives and possessions.
