Pakistani Jet Pilots

Women will soon be flying fighter jets in Pakistan's air force, changing the face of the 55-year-old all-male institution.

Women are now allowed to enroll in the aerospace engineering and fighter pilot programs of the nation's air force academy, the BBC reported Tuesday.

There are 10 women in two groups in the flying wing of the academy.

Many more compete with men in the engineering and aerospace wing.

Although women march shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts during early-morning parade, some parts of the training, particularly physical exercises, are carried out separately.

"It's quite important that we maintain this level of segregation, mainly because we are a Muslim society," said squadron leader Shazia Ahmed.

The women must achieve the same levels of performance as the men or face being dropped from the program. For the moment, it seems the few who have joined the ranks are doing extremely well.When the current class graduates in a year, these cadets will become the first women fighter pilots in Pakistan's history.

More on BBC News here.

Fighting Forced Marriages

A Pakistani legislator fights unspeakable women’s rights abuses—with surprising success.

The acid burns the hair off their heads, fuses lips, melts breasts, and leaves the victims blind, in agony, unrecognizable, and scarred for life. According to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), at least 211 women were killed in 2002 and countless others maimed when their husbands threw acid in their faces to punish them for disobedience. In Urdu, the acid is called tez ab—sharp water. Some victims say that it is worse than dying.

Humaira Awais Shahid, 32, a former investigative journalist turned legislator at the Punjab Assembly, is lobbying to treat this “ruthless tribal custom” as attempted murder. On Aug. 5, 2003, the Assembly passed her resolution to treat it as a crime and prosecute the men who commit it.

Complete article here >>

Tags: Forced Marriages, Legislator

• Forced
• Marriages

An IFAD-supported project in Mexico helps a women’s group set up a sheep farm. One participant tells her story.

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Pakistani woman is 'Funniest Mom in America'

Post / Cyrus McCrimmon

As a comedian, Rubi Nicholas - in her Castle Rock home with daughter Yasmin, 3 - draws from growing up a Pakistani-American in a white Pennsylvania neighborhood. Last week, she won Nick at Nite's "Search for the Funniest Mom in America."

Read the story here.

A short film on the everyday lives of women and children in Pakistan, documenting the adverse living conditions and the difficulties encountered in their struggle for a better future.




The documentary also examines the work undertaken by local and international NGOs working in the field of human rights for the protection of these two vulnerable social groups. NGOnet for Women and Children's Rights documentary on women in Pakistan.

Pakistani women race peacefully

Police escorted athletes taking part in the mixed-sex race in Lahore

A mixed-sex marathon passed off peacefully in Pakistan after thousands of police were deployed to stop disruption by Islamic activists.

Some 500 women took part in three races in Lahore, although 2,000 due to run had backed out over fears of violence.

Islamic protesters had demanded women be barred from taking part, arguing their presence ran counter to Islam.

But correspondents say such events are important to Pakistan's government, keen to seem a moderate Islamic state.

A total of three races were held: an exclusively male, professional run, a mixed-sex marathon and a family event which involved women and children running for 5km. Some 10,000 people took part, including 60 foreign athletes.

This is the second time Lahore has held an international marathon.

Organisers say the races have helped raise funds for the victims of the earthquake which devastated parts of northern Pakistan and Kashmir in October.

'Fun marathons'

The first race, a 42km marathon, was flagged off with much fanfare and music. People cheered on the professional athletes.

There are ways of following religion and this is not the way to follow religion, by telling women to stay off roads or not be able to participate in what they feel they want to do Amina Sheikh, a participant

Although the race did not include any women, dozens of police trucks kept moving with the athletes as they came out of the stadium.

A much bigger police force was deployed in the second race, a 10km mixed-sex race, in which hundreds of women participated.

The third race was a family event which saw women and children running for 5km .

The races were flagged off by the chief minister of the Punjab province, who described the races as "fun marathons".

"It was better than our expectations. Security was adequate and there was no incident... I am glad, the women's participation was very encouraging," Lahore Mayor Aamir Mahood told the AFP news agency.

The six-party Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance had opposed the mixing of men and women in such public events and had urged protesters to disrupt the race.

They insisted that women runners should race separately, and indoors.

On Friday police fired tear gas shells and resorted to a baton charge in and around the premises of the Islamiya College in Lahore. At least 160 people were arrested during clashes.

"There are ways of following religion and this is not the way to follow religion, by telling women to stay off roads or not be able to participate in what they feel they want to do," a participant, Amina Sheikh, told the BBC.

Attacks on runners

Last year's marathon in Lahore was the first time Pakistan had staged such an international event. It passed off peacefully even though women took part.

Women and men staged a "symbolic mini-marathon" last May

But last April a ban on mixed gender races was enforced after Islamic hardliners attacked runners in a race in the city of Gujranwala, about 100km (60 miles) north of Lahore.

In May women's rights activists defied the ban by holding a symbolic one kilometre "mini-marathon" in Lahore.

Women participants wore traditional dress, the salwar kameez, and some wore high heels rather than running shoes.

Source: BBC News

Pakistani Women Get Their Voices Heard

Kathleen Reen Director of Uks Foundation Tasneem Ahmar, seated, with trainees.

(January 9, 2004) Women journalists in Pakistan have begun producing the country's first independent syndicated radio programs that feature women as both producers and subjects under a unique training project developed by Internews and the Uks Foundation, a Pakistani organization promoting balanced coverage of women in the media.

The radio show is called "Meri Awaz Suno" ("Hear My Voice") and has agreements to air on five of the six new independent radio stations reaching across Pakistan. A recently produced program discussed educational opportunities for girls and women in Pakistan.

Another is about HIV/AIDS and includes the first ever broadcast in Pakistan of an HIV positive person's own words and story.

The practice of suara, an old tradition that continues to this day in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, is covered in a third program. Suara is the practice whereby a daughter is given away to one's enemy to end a rivalry.

Tasneem Ahmar, Director of the Uks Foundation and Executive Producer of the Uks Radio Project, has worked for many years to improve the coverage and participation of women in Pakistani media. "This project is geared towards playing an important role in changing attitudes for a positive and better future of women in Pakistan." she said.

Internews' projects in Pakistan are funded by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development.

Transcripts of the radio programs:

• Women and educational opportunities
• HIV/AIDS
• The practice of suara

Source: http://www.internews.org/news/2004/20040108_pak.html