Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. (A Thousand Splendid Suns).
In modern times, it is generally believed that men and women have equal rights, but perception is not necessarily the reality. The future we dreamed of looks eerily like the past we never left behind. Does our perspective remain unchanged even after decades? Yes, if they are rooted in traditions.
Women are subject to violence since centuries because of men’s attributes, and thus history is replete with women’s subjugation in the hands of men. Violence against women is a worldwide phenomenon. From Afghanistan to Pakistan and many parts of developing countries, women are struggling for their rights, which are still suppressed and neglected.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, narrates the story of two young girls, namely Mariam and Laila, who would suffer deeply throughout their lives under the weight of a patriarchal society. Mariam was born out of wedlock. Growing up in an isolated environment, she always tries to grab her father’s attention and acceptance, but when she takes a step towards him, he refuses and gets rid of her by marrying her off to an older man. For next two decades, her life becomes a cycle of silence, suffering, and endurance. Later, a new turn comes to her life when she meets Laila, who belongs to a progressive household having big dreams as well as the support of her father. Unfortunately, Laila’s dreams are shattered when her parents die in a rocket attack. She is rescued by Mariam’s husband, who exploits her weaknesses and manipulates her into marrying him. The story follows shared pain, unexpected friendship, and sacrifices that both women render for each other.
The story reflects how women are often blamed and are subject to the system’s exploitation. The pain of a mother while convincing her daughter not to seek the love of her unworthy father, who even won’t accept her as his own, is unnoticed by society, leaving no room for hope, love, and life.
Although the story is pictured in the background of Taliban- controlled Afghanistan, the experience of the two women is not different from rest of the“so-called” free world. Despite modern advancements, women are still treated as objects and are taught to obey before they are taught to think.
Reports released by various organizations such as United Nations Population, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Amnesty International have pointed out that violence against women and girls is a serious issue in South Asia. Pakistan, being one of the most affected countries, has the highest number in the region of around 1,000 women and girls killed annually, mainly concentrated in the provinces of Sindh and the Punjab.
Notable incidents include the brutal murder of 26-year-old social media star Qandeel Baloch in Multan, an old city of the Punjab province, in July 2016. She fell victim to an ‘honour’ killing incident ostensibly orchestrated by her brother. A 27-year-old girl, Noor Mukadam, was tortured and beheaded in Islamabad in July 2021, contending the issue of alleged “unsoundness of mind or mental capacity”. A 17-year-old TikTok creator, Sana Yousaf, was murdered in Islamabad in June 2025 for refusing an offer of friendship.
Even today in the remote corners of Quetta, Balochistan, we still hear the stories of violence, where a couple was killed disgustingly in July 2025 on the order of a tribal jirga for marrying of their own choice. Another horrifying incident of honour killing was reported in July 2025 in Pirwadhai area of Rawalpindi (Punjab) where a woman was killed following the decision of a jirga wherein members of both families participated. Such painful incidents are like those of the experiences of Laila and Mariam where women pay the price of “honour”.
These crimes impact not only individuals but also society at large. Several barriers contribute to such heinous crimes, including under-reporting of domestic violence, deep-rooted societal attitudes, male-dominant culture, influential tribal councils, panchayat, and jirga, lacunas in law, and weak law-enforcement mechanisms that encourage wrongdoers/perpetrators.
Jirga and panchayat systems, while deeply and firmly embedded in our culture, often bypass legal justice and excessively harm women.
Despite modern technology, artificial intelligence, and global awareness, the women’s struggle for a change is yielding no fruitful results, which is something disappointing and painful. While living in the 21st century with smartphones in hand and satellites in space, in many households, a woman’s voice is hushed.
Violence against women, both emotional and physical, continues to prevail, sometimes behind the closed doors of modest homes, or justified openly in the name of honour, tradition, and religion. While some women have gained access to education, freedom, and opportunities, millions remain trapped in the clutches of man-made destiny. The culture of patriarchy still thrives, and now hides behind the gloss of progress. Although we have opted for modern tools of change, our minds are wrapped in multiple layers of traditions.
Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan establishes principles of equality, but cases like Noor Mukadam and Sana Yousaf serve as haunting reminders of how we continue to silence women’s voices. The Constitution has several laws that aim to protect women. Prominent among them are Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, the Criminal Law Amendment Acts of 2006 and 2016, Anti-Rape Act, 2012. These laws do provide a strong legal framework, but weak institutional mechanisms and unrecorded data keep them dormant from being fully enforced. The issue isn’t the absence of law; it’s the failure to implement it. And this failure has a method.
If there is a lesson to take from the novel as discussed above, it is that the strength and power of society lie in how it treats its women “Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated”.
The writers are associated with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, and they can be reached at syedafizakazmi5@gmail.com and sahar@sdpi.org”
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