The day I was born my dad
distributed sweets all over the city and couldn't thank God enough to bless him
once again with a daughter. Everyone who received the sweets would congratulate
my dad over the arrival of a son but he would correct them and say not son but
a daughter. My dad was posted in a rural area of Baluchistan when I was born
and over there they don’t share the news for the arrival of their daughters
because for them it’s not something to be proud of. But my dad is an exception,
for him his daughters are his reason to live. He is a father who have groomed
his daughters into ladies, who not only represent him but his entire community
with great honor.
When I look at my father and then
think about Farzana’s father, who stoned his own daughter to dead just because
she married someone she liked, I can’t believe it. How can a father kill his
own daughter, how can a brother see his own sister in pain, how could the
people of his community help them kill her. Didn’t they have daughters or maybe
they didn’t consider them as human beings? As I am listening to the news and
seeing how they are twisting the story I can literally hear her screams and
feel the pain, to her each and every fractured bone.
Just put yourself at her place
for a while and imagine I throw a stone at you. Will it hurt? Of course it
will. Then how could you do this to her? Couldn’t you hear her screams? Didn’t she call you Baba once or didn’t she call
you Brother. Didn’t she trusted you enough to protect her against all the
evils? Of course she did but she didn’t know that she is calling the evils with
such respectful names which are not meant to be used for them. She was
encircled by so many men where she stood all alone trying to protect herself
and her baby. I can’t stop imagining a poor woman screaming "O baba you
are my father, o brother I am your sister, wait uncle remember I am your same
favorite niece who used to make tea for you, and you, you were my favorite
cousin, we used to play in the same backyard and you and you and you all are my
people please don’t kill me." She was stoned and stoned till she swallowed
her own blood oozing down her face while praying to God for some mercy not for
her because it was too late but for the other women who are still alive and
might be a victim of honor killing. Due to such people we are losing hopes over
the humanity and justice.
As I sit here writing this
article I feel like Farzana is sitting next to me and begging me to be her
mouth piece so she can get justice. I feel as if my soul was the stoned with
hers. How ashamed I am of being a so called human being, who is so helpless in
this male dominant society. I am sorry Farzana I couldn’t help you but I promise
to take your story across the bridges and make sure the entire world get united
to punish your killers.
I want to ask a simple question
from all those men who kill their women in the name of honor thinking they have
saved their honor that how can one gain honor by killing a woman who is a
mother, daughter, sister and wife to someone. How can you save your honor by
shedding the blood of an innocent soul who has spent her entire life in your
dominance?
I am a female too, I have studied
in co-education throughout my life and I have been living in America from past four years. I interact with
males on daily basis, I have many male co-workers and class fellows but I have
never brought any disgrace to my family. My father and brothers are proud of who I
am today and they have no shame in telling their friends that their daughter or
sister is studying abroad and is an international journalist. Then how can
marrying someone of your own choice can be such a crime that you decide to kill
your own blood.
I know it’s not the first time
that this happened in my country nor its the last time but now it’s about time and I really want this to be the last time. Farzana sister was also killed four years back in the same way but what made it worse this time that
she was stoned outside the court, the same court where people go to get
justice. Was this a justice to Farzana and her husband? No, even if you say yes
I will not agree to you because killing someone like this cannot be justice.
Yes, if you do the same to all those people who killed Farzana then this would
be a justice to Farzana, her sister and her baby.
I have a very simple request from
you all to take a moment and imagine your beloved one standing at the same place
where Farzana was that day and ask yourself what would be your reaction to it.
I am sure you would never let this happen to your loved ones.
Mr. President and Prime Minister,
I request you to give justice to Farzana soul by punishing her killers or else
not only you but the entire nation won’t be able to sleep peacefully. Help her
soul to rest in peace by punishing these tyrant people and let them know that
honor killing is not supported in today’s society. As an adult we all have the
right to marry someone we love and even if we don’t then you also don’t have
the right to kill someone for making this choice.