the movers and shakers: women of pakistan

Newsweek came up with a list of 100 women who matter most in Pakistan.  They left out a few from a list they had of 350 women, broke a few hearts, and left a bunch feeling indignant.  


http://www.newsweekpakistan.com/component/content/article/38-features/270-100-women-who-shake-pakistan


A "list" such as this a ridiculous idea, and here's a list why:


1.  It fits the paradigm of how westerners write about Pakistan.  If its not going to be the terror militant suicide angle, then it should be about defiance, spirit, resilience - their art, their bold and talented women, their unique industries.  They party at french beach, they produce sex toys, they have transvestites who collect taxes, they have fashion shows where models display skin and bones.  They have a 100 women who matter (most.)  What is implicitly problematic with this module its always the other (softer) side of the dichotomy, the side that doesn't wield swords in the name of Allah, and isn't a failed state.  


2.  The list is horribly weighted towards the rich, powerful, and privileged -- politicians, business owners and even social entrepreneurs who buy into capitalist models of success for the poor.  Case in point: Roshaneh tops the list -- who combines benevolent capitalism with patriotism.  Another case in point: Bushra Aitzaz -- who to her credit, heads a business, and is head of the cricket board, and who according to "facebook note" source reminded the lawyers who questioned Aitzaz's leadership of their movement of their "auqaat," which roughly translates to "shut up, you low class."  


3.  When the list does stumble upon a representative from the working class, it is everybody's favorite token, Mutktaran Mai.  Not to diminish her contribution -- however, her presence in such lists shows what a rural, non elite person has to suffer, and how she must miraculously rise above all odds, in order to make it to the imagination of the corporate media and the glitzy liberal ngo-charity-philanthropy circuit.  Millions of women work in fields and in home based factories and contribute significantly to the economy, and to use a cliche, are the backbone of society.  They suffer gross injustices, are not recognized as workers, paid less than their male counterparts.  What about their leaders and organizers?  Or is it enough that they are represented by the landed politicians who rely on their vote bank and the business women who de facto gain in profit margins from their exploited status, have made it to the list? (And Jugnu Mohsin who publishes stories about the 'good times' of the famously wealthy in her glossy magazine peddled by street vendors who work 8 hour days and still don't make enough to pay their chidlren's tution.)


4.  Then the glaring exclusions that simply do not make sense.  I am not supporting their inclusion -- but it does not add up why Aseefa Zardari (of anti polio achievements and a father) would make the list and Fatima Bhutto (also of father fame) would be dropped; why Sonya Jehan would make it as TV's most attractive mascot, yet Sania Saeed, sensible, social issue drama actor would be eliminated; why Sheema Kirmani classical dancer and creator of Tehriq-i-Niswan and whose work has impact in Karachi was deemed to matter less than Shazia Sikander modern miniature artist whose work has "shown at every New York Gallery worth its salt."   Nighat Said Khan, one of the founders of the Womens' Action Forum made it, and so did Aurat founder Nigar, but it must be terribly vexing for Anis Haroon, also active in WAF and Aurat, chairperson of National Commission on Status of Women, and robust on social issues to be considered any less important.  Also Sara Suleri over Kamila Shamsie?  Kamila is prolific with quality and Broken Verses raised important socio-political issues.  Sara, while sweet and intelligent, and a contributor to theory, is still talking about Meatless Days.  (At a recent event at T2f she referred to a  paragraph in MD about how her sister asks a guy slaughtering her chicken if its "fresh."  Laughs. )

5.  Which brings me to a connected point that the list compilers probably did a coin toss or a dice roll in various categories.  Madeeha Gauhar over Faryal Gauhar.  Sara and Bapsi over Kamila.  Bunny over Anis.  Asma over Hina.  Ayesha Taseer over Tammy Haq.  Fehmida Mirza over Fehmida Riaz.  Salima Hashmi, painter, curator, gallery owner over the other 100 curators, painters, and gallery owners, and innovators in art.  Durriya Qazi was left out -- the person who tried to popularize (co-opt) truck art.  So was the woman from Poppy Seed Studio and her endeavor to produce dhaba art in an attempt to blatantly romanticize and cash in on the work of working class art pupils.  Ghetto isn't cool yet in Pakistan, and Sheedi donkey cart drivers are not quite rapper status.  Nor is being non hetero-sexual acceptable.


(In the sports:  Naseem Hameed, Rubab, Sana Mir, Carla Khan or Kiran Baluch?  (Its such a quaint and small club, put them all in.)  Tina and Abida, singers of Faiz and Sufi kalam, but not Iqbal Bano and Munni, who sing Faiz and ghazal-- one dead, the other badnaam.  Tehmina Durrani cruised in unchallenged.  Who doesn't want to read about the carnal exploits of feudal politicians?  Meera, Veena, or Mathira?  Space only for two in the tramp 'n vamp category.

 6.  Four religious minorities made it to the list. (At least the ones I could count.)  Bapsi Sidwa, Spenta Khandawala, Nargis Mawalvala, and Asiya Nasir.   Three parsis -- all of whom, I am pretty sure, live abroad, and one Christian.  Hallelujah!  But notice the write-up on the one local Asiya non Muslim.   (politically incorrect term, yet in wide usage.) She represents the orthodox Jamaat -i-Ulema-Islam.  Hence, despite her valiant speech in the national assembly about the rights of  minorities, she stands with a party that believes in the systematic legal and political discrimination against minorities, and upholds the infamous blasphemy and Qisas and Diyat laws. Spenta's claim to fame, dubiously, is that she was Hillary Rodham's classmate at a top notch American college.  Nargis, physicist, one of my sister's good friends at one time -- lovely person -- but also MIT-Smith lineage.

7.  And cheering, and tacitly supporting the case for U.S. war and drone attacks on defenseless people in Waziristan (the so called existential threat of militants): Sajida Zulfiqar who resists the taliban to run her furniture business; Samar Minallah (who despite other accomplishments) is cited for exposing the Swat flogging video that precipitated and legitimized a military strike on Swat.  Many women and children were displaced and killed as a result of that operation.  And a certain Dr. Percha who helps un-brainwash taliban children as her service to humanity (with more brainwash and salami sandwiches for the duration of the course so they can endure hunger for the rest of the year?)  And a certain Dr. Shirin who was a former advisor to George Bush, and Huma, an aide to Hillary Clinton. (Shudders.)  Now read Falluja and Najaf in Qul style a few hundred times.


8.  In essence this list lines up well with imperialist philosophy.  Apart from a few good people here and there -- Ayesha Jalal, Samina Khan, Asma Jehangir  -- (Tahera Hasan, a friend, and a lovely person as well,) and  the list is replete with examples of globalization, capitalism queens, and imperialism mascots.  And the parade of horrors -- landed, industrialist politicians and financiers.  Most, except  a couple, either live abroad, or were educated abroad, or holidayed abroad.


In the spirit of International Womens's day, make up your own list; lets do our own version of the Mumbai resistance.  The only rule is that they should represent women with spelled out or practiced socialist, leftist, radical feminist, anti-capitalist, or pro labor ideologies .  They  question the status quo, and do not perpetuate it in any form or fashion, and not privileged in terms of past social status.  Broaden it to South Asians.  Throw in a few Maoist Nepali leaders for good measure.


My list:  


1. Noor Naz Agha - leader in lawyers' movement.  Took the police baton in a rally, and has filed uncelebrated landmark lawsuits on the rights of bonded labor.

2. Najma Khanum, labor party activist, who was returning from a meeting in Baluchistan with home based workers when she was killed in a tragic road accident.  The roads were in a state of negligent disrepair and there was no non military hospitals on the way that would serve the people of Baluchistan.  In any civilized country, there'd be a protest and a million dollar lawsuit.


3.  Arundhati Roy, just because.