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Opinion | Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan bodes ill for women in Pakistan, too
- Widespread approval of the Taliban in Pakistan reflects the misogyny in both countries’ governance and politics
- The fear is that developments in Afghanistan will embolden extremist narratives in Pakistan and worsen the underlying gender inequalities
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In Pakistan’s Faisalabad city, known for its textile industry, a march for women’s rights earlier this month was blocked after the assistant commissioner failed to provide the organisers with a “no objection certificate”.
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The march’s organisers claimed that, during a meeting with the official, he told them “rape does not happen without consent these days” and that “women are not this oppressed in Pakistan”. In response, they registered their fury on social media.
Across Pakistan, reports of violence against women are rising, despite widespread under-reporting of incidents. Pakistan is currently ranked the sixth most dangerous place for women in the world, according to a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey.
The march was due to coincide with protests against the murder of Noor Mukadam, who was reportedly found raped, shot and beheaded. Police have charged a male acquaintance. Many turned to social media to express outrage at the killing and frustration at the incidents of violence against women in Pakistan.
This comes amid the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan, which threatens to shatter future hopes for women there, given the group’s history of subjugation and suppression in the country.
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Women fear the worst for their freedoms as Taliban return to power in Afghanistan
Women fear the worst for their freedoms as Taliban return to power in Afghanistan
Yet, at both official levels and in society, the conquest has been hailed in Pakistan, where the religion card is frequently used to camouflage incidents of gender-based violence.
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