Thursday, September 15, 2005
The President of Pakistan has a website through which you can send messages to him. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) office reads the messages and routes them as they see fit. I beseech everyone who reads this blog to PLEASE go to the Write to the President section and express your views about the recent statements the General has been making about rape whilst on his grand trip to New York.Also, please can we brainstorm ways to protest meaningfully? Standing outside the Press Club is going to achieve zilch. What can we, as a connected, articulate, media/net savvy community do to make our voices heard? We need a new movement. C'mon people! Let's move our backsides.
Here is what I have just sent in ...
This is with reference to the statement made by President Musharraf regarding rape:
"You must understand the environment in Pakistan. This has become a money making concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped."
Messages expressing shock and horror after reading this "gem" are pouring in from all over the world. However, for the most part, we feel utterly helpless. It's one thing to aim to project a "soft image" of Pakistan but making ruthless, inconsiderate, chauvinistic, and totally untrue statements like this doesn't help our cause.
Claiming that rape is an issue all over the world doesn't justify the actions of those who victimize and torture other human beings and nor does it eliminate the need for the Pakistani Government to repeal unjust laws or take action against those who commit heinous crimes in the name of religion and honour.
I want to know exactly what this statement means. Would whoever answers these letters please deconstruct it for me and "explain it to me like I am 5 years old". Does the President really believe this? Does he genuinely believe that women who get raped are "in it for the money"? Are people so desperate to go abroad that they'd willingly allow themselves to be violated in the most horrifying fashion? If this is what Pakistani society has come to, why are we bothering to try and change anything? The sheer obnoxiousness and crassness of this statement still hasn't sunk in and a lot of us hope that the General has been misquoted.
I live in a city beset by crime and violence - every women runs the risk of getting raped - now we know, of course, that no one stands a chance of recourse to the law. The highest authority has spoken - it's all about the Canadian visa. Mr. President, the least you can do now is to apologize and assure us that you didn't mean what you said. The damage has been done, but, please, tell us you're sorry and that you made a BIG, FAT mistake by making that hideous, shameful statement.
11 Comments:
Beanz, I am just as appalled as a vast mjority of people and have just written to the President - though not as respectfully as you have - have called him a Nero and so many other things.
love ya
G
if you ever get a response from General, please dont forget to share it with us. I have my doubts if he actually reads anything at all.
It's not the first time though, remember what he said about hitting Dera Bugti and more recently Dr. Shazia case.. i am still in shock that he thinks poverty has decreased significantly in Pakistan, even spent a few hours driving around to see if anything has really changed! this was a headline just a day before govt raised petrol prices to 3.7 Rs
ps: what can an ordinary person do to make his/her voice heard in Pakistan? We already have so many news papers, magzines, blogs writing about these things on daily basis and in my humble view it does't make much difference. But anyways, how about public signatures idea? old but works ;)
I am shocked that the man thinks this way. so what does this mean? women need to get raped before they are actually given visas???? The man is NUTS. i'm actually waiting for the day when something horrible happens to him or his family. maybe then he'll understand how the rest of us feel. what will happen the people of this country if the prez (out of all the people) makes such statements.... I HATE HIM
lets do something - anyhting..
samar!
Thanks for sharing your disgust with me. I do not think that writing to our dictator president would make any difference particularly if ISPR is filtering it. I dont care what he is saying and to whom, because world over it has become "jis ki lathi us ki bhains" from Bush to our Musharraf to Sharon to even week sections of society that suddenly become powerful when they rape and butcher young kids and innnocent women.
Writing to him, imply we think we can change his thinking? we think he is all that powerful that it would be easy to convince him to be on our side? imply that the president with otherwise liberal outlook just had a slip of tongue? imply that the president's mindset can be changed?
He uttered these words because he doesnt have a fear of his people. Our society's liberals have strengthened him because he appeared anti-mullah. Unfortunately our liberals are still with him and even today's WAF statement is just a formality where WAF seems to be more concerened with the the role of civil society in the govt projects/initiatives. This seemingly liberal president has legitimized every wrong and has done nothing to undo the wrongs of the other dictators.
I am sorry but he is a dictator and as long as he is in power we will be hearing such "gems" on all the disgusting issues in this society. If we want a change, why dont we ask him to step down???
Sadly,
Sophia
If anyone in the ISPR even bothers to check the comments posted on the enlightened and moderate President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, at least they should tell him what exactly is happening in this country that he rules over. It seems that our illustrious President left the habit of reading after he joined the army - army officers hardly get time for things like reading newspapers let alone books or magazines because of their multifarous military activities like Golf, meeting comrade generals in the Mess etc. However, all said and done, when Gen Musharraf took over power from Nawaz Sharif, one truly thought he was sincere in his statements regarding setting Pakistan right. We, the silent majority who had become so disillusioned by our corrupt politicians, that I for one actually was happy about the military takeover. But I guess initial impressions aren't always right. One would have thought that if the President does not have time to read newspapers or magazines at least some of the people around him (the non-sycophant variety) would make it a point to tell him exactly what is happening in the cities and villages of this country that he rules over.But, unfortunately he is so firmly and comfortably ensconsed in his secure military headquarters that he seems to have lost touch with reality - each gem he articulates is worse than the other - but this one really takes the cake. To put it politely our President General has foot in the mouth disease,believe me, I'm a doctor.
Please Mr. President, remember your history. Remember Nero
I think this interview has to go down as the most foolish and ill-advised words ever uttered by the President of a country. I wonder what his wife or mother think about this statement. What about his daughter-in-law who enjoys the freedom and the protection of the law in Boston? I hope the women who get to meet him in parties and dinners have the kahunas to object to his utter disregard for women's rights and the horrendous justice system for victims of rape in Pakistan. What a shame!
I wonder if writing to Musharraf helps.
The last thing he probably read was a 'Sergeant Rock' comic in the 1960s which helped him decide his career.
The nice thing about blogging is having the ability to vent one's feelings and then being able to share them with others.
Anyone interested in viewing my 'bile' against Mush can visit:
http://politicalpakistan.blogspot.com/2005/09/musharraf-ive-lost-my-marbles_20.html
Superb post! As a fellow Pakistani blogger and an author for Global Voices Online, I just wanted to let you know that this post promoted in my recent post on GV. The link is here:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/-/world/south-asia/pakistan/
--
My personal blog is at:
http://oream.blogspot.com
Regards.
Onlooker: Regarding whether writing to Musharraf helps, in the grand, macro scheme of things - no it doesn't - but then what possibly can? I think it's important for us to adjust our expectations. When we write or speak out or march for peace, we are doing better than not doing anything at all. We need to express outrage and pass on a message, irrespective of whether anyone is listening or not. Maybe our blogs will inspire the next generation of influencers. Maybe we have nuisance value. I'd be thrilled if the ISPR found us irritating or pesky. These are small things, I know, and don't mean a lot. How can we affect major change? No clue but we have to find those answers that are now blowing not in the wind but in Category 5 hurricanes.
Olive Ream: Thanks for your kind words and for including me in your Global Voices post.
It's my message to the President!
Sir, now we have two enemies India & Afghanistan. India is not that much dangerous as is Afghanistan because it's an enemy from behind so we must support USA & her allies in Afghanistan & try to convince them to demilitarise Afghanistan.
It's my message to the President!
Sir, now we have two enemies India & Afghanistan. India is not that much dangerous as is Afghanistan because it's an enemy from behind so we must support USA & her allies in Afghanistan & try to convince them to demilitarise Afghanistan.
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