Break the silence about - violence on women

To:  President of Pakistan, Law Minister, Interior Minister, Media and International human right organisations

LET US 'BREAK THE SILENCE '

WE CONDEMN - the JIRGA SYSTEM, SODOMY AND GANG RAPE CASE IN PAKISTAN

Dear Friends and Pakistani's,
this is the time for Solidarity against humiliation of women in name of "Traditions and Customs." By Remaining Silent all we are doing is condoning this crime ........break the silence, condemn it, JOIN us !!

The members of Progressive Women's Association, a Pakistani women's right organisation URGES YOU TO SIGN AND FORWARD the petition to your friends sympathisers /humanitarian GROUPS and mailing LISTS for further endorcements.

A woman, Mukhtaran Mai who taught Quran the holy book .. to the village children, was gang-raped on the orders of a local village jury --- (some wise and religious men of the area... called Jirga or Panchayat, in a Punjab village.) She kept begging for mercy in the name of God, but no one from the crowd dared to object to the verdict of the traditional jury, or Panchayat for fear of their lives.
Mukhtaran Mai and her father Ghulam Farid Gujjar said the incident happened on June 22, but was registered as a complaint by police only about a week later, when the incident leaked out by some local journalist in media....and we the local NGOs pursued it
Psyche of disrespect for women has become abnormal in Pakistan. This issue is not simply gender related, it has a very deep rooted CAST flavour. Our frustrated society has become so indulged in perversion that they see the solution of most disputes in desecrating women which is really something very ominous

The endorced petition will be sent to The President, Law minister, Amnesty International and to the Pakistani Authorities. We jointly condemn this gang rape, sodomy and demand action and its implementation .........

* abolish extra-Judicial Structures eg. Jirgas, Panchayats or any such Local justice systems... as they believe in revival of humiliating traditions and punishments and sacrifce of women in the name of honour.

* speedy Justice to the victims, Mai and her brother

* severe Punishment to perpetrators and legitimizers, including the police and the administration, so it becomes a deterrent for the entire nation.

* stop violence against women at all levels, and repeal Hudood Ordinance, which discriminate against against the women.

This Petition would pressurize Pakistani authorities and strenghten their hands against the tough challenge of lawlessness. Please forward this email to as many people and lists that you know of as possible.


Friends unfortunately apathy - ignorance and shamelessness on our behalfs, as muslims, as human beings has reached an all-time high.

Please let this gangrape incident not be history, consigned to the dustbin of national shame till another woman will be raped, another lad sodomised, and another life traumatised, with only the chorus of do-gooders shouting that justice will be done and the culprits will be brought to book........

Let us fulfil our duty, stop this erosion of moral values from our lives, CONDEMN IT, shoot this petition to others for endorsement, even if you do have minor objections with this petition, PLEASE ENDORSE IT .... to strengthen this movement in the name of humanity, for the sake of your sisters and daughters, the younger generations to come.

Your cooperation and solidarity with our struggle is highly appreciated.
May God be with us

Shahnaz Bukhari. chief coordinator Progressive Women's Association
#24a, st.38. sector F8/1 Islamabad. Pakistan. ph. 2252829 pwaisbd@hotmail.com US Miami ... ph. 305 818 9919



annex. CASE BACKGROUND

this is an event of 22nd June 2002 in a remote village Jatoi of Muzaffargarh in Multan District, Pakistan. an 18-year-old girl was gang raped on holy orders of a ' judicious panchayat' comprising the area's leading intellectual and elderly members. A drooling and sanctimonious crowd of about a thousand, witnessed the event. as a punishment of a crime that she did not commit.
This punishment was meted out to reclaim the honour of the higher caste tribe -- were they Muzaffargarh's Brahmins? they alleged that an
15-year-old from a lower tribe -- was friendly to one of their young girl. To bear the punishment for her brother's cardinal sin the boy's sister was brought to a public place and was subsequently raped by four men from the superior tribe, committing "collective immorality"
A jurist of the panchayat, who had already sodomised her brother was one of the rapist, the boy is still in police 'safe custody.' His sister, after they were done with her, was forced to walk home, naked and in shame from within the in human callous crowd

We condemn and demand action from the Pakistan govt

SIGNATURES
NAME..........................ORG............... email ADDRESS

Shahnaz Bukhari ..............PWA............ pwaisbd@yahoo.com
faizan agha ..................faizanagha80@hotmail.com
Jawad Arif ....................jawad_arif80@hotmail.com
Sarmad Rashid .......................sarmad10@hotmail.com
Iqbal Janjua........... .............pwaisbd@hotmail.com

Mahwish Rasheed......................mahwish_b@yahoo.com


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Readers u can write letters to condemn this heinous crime too :

General Pervez Musharraf,
President of Islamic. Republic of Pakistan
President House, Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: 92-51-9203938, E-mail: ce@pak.gov.pk

Send copies to:

Lt. Gen (r) Moin Uddin Haider,
Minsiter of Interior,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: 92-51-9202624

Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed
Chief Justice of Pakistan
Supreme Court of Pakistan,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92 (51) 9213452 Tel: +92 (51) 9220581 scp2000@isb.paknet.com.pk


Dr. Maleeha Lodhi
Ambassador to United States of America
2315 MASSACHUSETTS AVE.
N.W. WASHINGTON D.C. 20008
Tel No. 202-939-6200

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Break the silence about - violence on women Petition to President of Pakistan, Law Minister, Interior Minister, Media and International human right organisations was created by human right activists and sympathisers and written by Shahnaz Bukhari.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no express or implied endorsement of this petition by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. The petition scripts are created by Mike Wheeler at Artifice, Inc.  For Technical Support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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