- “Patriarchy has taken a very extremist and violent form as the State is a party to it,” says WDF President Ismat Shahjahan
ISLAMABAD: Unidentified men tore down the installations carrying notes and dupattas that were put in the F-9 Park Islamabad by the protesters against gender-based violence.
The protest was held in support of the F-9 Park and Vehari bus gang rape victims.
On February 2nd, a woman was raped in F-9 Park in Islamabad while she was with her male colleague. According to the FIR, two men raped the woman at a gunpoint and told her to “not to come to the park at this time”.
In another incident, a private bus company guard and driver raped a bus hostess on a moving bus in Vehari.
According to the Women Democratic Front’s (WDF) Twitter handle, “we called for a protest at the Bolan Gate of F9 Park. Concluding this, we urged women to hang their dupattas and personal notes, and other pieces of clothing in support of the victims of the gang rape in F9 Park and the Vehari bus incident. ”
On 6/2, we called for a protest at the Bolan Gate of F9 Park. Concluding this, we urged women to hang their dupattas and personal notes and other pieces of clothing in support of the victims of the gang rape in F9 Park and Vehari bus incident. 1/9 pic.twitter.com/Iqbg02NMS0
— Women Democratic Front ناری جمھوری محاذ (@wdf_pk) February 7, 2023
We hung them as a symbol of women’s struggles and as a warning to the perpetrators of the crime that we are watching the park. Women brought personal notes where they talked about their own harrowing experiences and how this platform of protest has given them a voice. 2/9 pic.twitter.com/O95Zs2ykrS
— Women Democratic Front ناری جمھوری محاذ (@wdf_pk) February 7, 2023
The Tweet further said that they hung the notes and dupattas “as a symbol of women’s struggles and as a warning to the perpetrators of the crime that we are watching the park”.
“Only an hour later, the dupattas along with the notes were torn down. When two of our comrades reached the site the man engaged in tearing down the installation ran towards the darkness of the thicket,” the Tweet said.
Only an hour later, the dupattas along with the notes were torn down. When two of our comrades reached the site the man engaged in tearing down the installation ran towards the darkness of the thicket. 4/9 pic.twitter.com/yn1Mf6vtoF
— Women Democratic Front ناری جمھوری محاذ (@wdf_pk) February 7, 2023
This was a brutal attempt at silencing the voice of the survivors and of the women of Pakistan, a country where a woman is raped every 2 hours.
This blatant disrespect shown to the women who came and expressed solidarity with the survivors is extremely reprehensible. 5/9 pic.twitter.com/QvFv0AAXCq
— Women Democratic Front ناری جمھوری محاذ (@wdf_pk) February 7, 2023
While condemning the incident, WDF said, “this was a brutal attempt at silencing the voice of the survivors and of the women of Pakistan, a country where a woman is raped every 2 hours. This blatant disrespect shown to the women who came and expressed solidarity with the survivors is extremely reprehensible.”
Such acts only perpetuate systemic inequality. This silencing reinforces the fact that these are not individual incidents, rather they are part of an ideology of state violence and atrocities that have only strengthened their roots in recent years. 6/9 pic.twitter.com/0i2ubA8kgg
— Women Democratic Front ناری جمھوری محاذ (@wdf_pk) February 7, 2023
Talking to Dissent Today, WDF President Ismat Shahjahan said this is not the first time they have faced resistance against their protests.
Regarding the rape incidents, she said, “there is an increase in cases of violence against women due to the patriarchal state.”
“Patriarchy has taken a very extremist and violent form as the State is a party to it.”
The State has introduced no reforms to curb such incidents, she said.
