The News Editorial: Sonia Naz's saga
The News editorial, dated September 14, 2005
Sonia Naz's saga
Since the beginning of this year, the media has played a positive and responsible role in highlighting rape cases occurring in the country. But some sections of the media have shown irresponsibility when dealing with this delicate and emotional issue. They have indulged in the character assassination of Mukhtaran Mai and Dr Shazia, and now they have turned their guns on Sonia Naz.
Her ordeal didn't end with her arrest in the National Assembly and then rape by law enforcers, the Sonia Naz saga was to continue. After she had been dealt with brutally, she was counting on support from her husband for whose safety she sacrificed her honour, her life and her happiness. On Tuesday, her husband, Asim Yousaf announced that he had no other option but to divorce her, as he "could not live with a woman about whom print media has been publishing stories for the last two weeks".
Such a strange statement only a week after Asim came out of hiding at the cost of his life to save his brave wife, mother of his two children, from further torture at the hands of his own family in particular, and society, in general. He has decided to divorce the woman who had staked everything for his release, to protect the future of his married and unmarried sisters.
Sadly Asim has only done what is considered correct in our society. But where was this society when Sonia Naz was being arrested for a crime as relatively trivial as trespassing in the National Assembly to seek the release of her husband? Where was this society when she was kidnapped and raped? And where were the champions of society when she moved to a shelter home after her in-laws evicted her from their home only because she was raped?
Unfortunately, this society is callous enough to allow Sonia Naz to be victimised again and again without raising so much as a voice. And this society can allow her character to be maligned without protesting because in our society a raped woman should do the honourable thing and stay mute for the sake of her family's reputation.
The Sonia Naz case should make us conscious of the lack of justice in the country, as well as the highhandedness of the elected politicians and the law enforcers, at whose mercy a person's life can be destroyed by a routine act. It should also focus attention on the callousness of a society that prefers to punish and ostracise the victim of a terrible crime.
Had the venerated members of the National Assembly just listened to the petition of a commoner, and given her due justice, her honour and her life as she had known it may have been saved.
Since the beginning of this year, the media has played a positive and responsible role in highlighting rape cases occurring in the country. But some sections of the media have shown irresponsibility when dealing with this delicate and emotional issue. They have indulged in the character assassination of Mukhtaran Mai and Dr Shazia, and now they have turned their guns on Sonia Naz.
Her ordeal didn't end with her arrest in the National Assembly and then rape by law enforcers, the Sonia Naz saga was to continue. After she had been dealt with brutally, she was counting on support from her husband for whose safety she sacrificed her honour, her life and her happiness. On Tuesday, her husband, Asim Yousaf announced that he had no other option but to divorce her, as he "could not live with a woman about whom print media has been publishing stories for the last two weeks".
Such a strange statement only a week after Asim came out of hiding at the cost of his life to save his brave wife, mother of his two children, from further torture at the hands of his own family in particular, and society, in general. He has decided to divorce the woman who had staked everything for his release, to protect the future of his married and unmarried sisters.
Sadly Asim has only done what is considered correct in our society. But where was this society when Sonia Naz was being arrested for a crime as relatively trivial as trespassing in the National Assembly to seek the release of her husband? Where was this society when she was kidnapped and raped? And where were the champions of society when she moved to a shelter home after her in-laws evicted her from their home only because she was raped?
Unfortunately, this society is callous enough to allow Sonia Naz to be victimised again and again without raising so much as a voice. And this society can allow her character to be maligned without protesting because in our society a raped woman should do the honourable thing and stay mute for the sake of her family's reputation.
The Sonia Naz case should make us conscious of the lack of justice in the country, as well as the highhandedness of the elected politicians and the law enforcers, at whose mercy a person's life can be destroyed by a routine act. It should also focus attention on the callousness of a society that prefers to punish and ostracise the victim of a terrible crime.
Had the venerated members of the National Assembly just listened to the petition of a commoner, and given her due justice, her honour and her life as she had known it may have been saved.
posted by Arsalan at
12:55 AM
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