Ameena Mohsin from the Dhaka University, in her presentation Women, State and Displacement: Some Perspectives from Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, focused on the insurgency in Chittagong Hills. She discussed at length the creation of communities that are ethnically, linguistically and religiously different from the dominant majority. She argued that the na tionalist ideology itself marginalizes women and the women of the ethnic communities suffer doubly due to their gender as well as ethnicity.
She said that both empowerment and disempowerment go hand in hand in case of internal displacement. She quoted the sense of empowerment experienced by women who were widowed or raped as compared to those who were accompanied by their husbands who spoke on their behalf. However, ‘empowered' women were equally haunted by feelings of grief and loneliness. She stated that rape was used as a tool of war because nationalists over-emphasize the chastity and purity of women.
Naila Hussain from Lahore in her presentation Afghan Women: Tales of Hope and Sorrow shared the stories of Afghan women with a focus on their struggle, resilience, and determination in efforts towards reconstruction and peace. The narratives were based on interviews conducted by the author in 2003-4. The respondents had expressed the frustration experienced by generations trapped in vicious cycle of political games, civil wars and discriminatory practices perpetuated over centuries and that there is a yearning among Afghans to see peace in their country. And also, at least among women, there is a generosity of spirit and a tendency to forgive and start afresh. She also highlighted priorities set out by Afghan women as opposed to what appears in the media, for instance the relentless coverage of Afghan women choosing to continue with the burqa. Solutions put forward by Afghan women include empowerment of women, establishment of a democratic political system and assertion of women's right to get education, counseling, etc.
Farwa Zafar from the Development Group, Islamabad, in her presentation Engendering Politics and Political Institutions in Pakistan examined the gender profile of politics in Pakistan, by looking at the extent and nature of women's political participation as voters, candidates, and elected representatives. She argued that women's effective participation is crucial for improving their status as well as for mainstreaming women's concerns in public policy. She stated that despite the progress made, gaps still remain with new challenges constantly emerging. Gaps include weak role of civil society, lack of effective state machinery, and low participation of women in political parties and women's exclusion from decision-making at all levels. She recommended women's inclusion in governance structures and change in current dominant style of politics, which is a major impediment to women's political participation.
Anisa Zeb Tahir Kheli, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, chairing the session stressed upon women's education as a pre-requisite for the assertion of their rights. She said that in order to increase women's political participation, it is essential to work on their economic empowerment. She added that the government has full intentions to take all necessary actions in order to achieve this.
The discussant for the session, Saeed Shafqat from NIPS, while discussing Farwa Zafar's paper, said that the degree of progress with respect to women's emancipation is debatable and while the author did present an optimistic picture of women's rights in Pakistan, she should have also addressed the concerns of feminist groups who are not satisfied with the situation. Commenting on Ameena Mohsin's paper, he stated that there remains a need to explore the transition from liberation secession in case of Bangladesh. He added that failed states are no longer an option. However, human security precedes state's security and security of global order.
During the discussion session the participants felt that the economic concerns were not given due attention in the presentations especially in the context of Afghanistan.
Reported by Aisha Mukhtar
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