Published in The News on June 03, 2009
I am but an ordinary member of the ANP but upset at the way Samar Minallah's name was dragged in the whole controversy surrounding the flogging video. The NWFP information minister had said that Samar Minhalalh was jeopardising the so-called peace deal by highlighting the Swat flogging video. Within the party I protested that we should not name individuals but should investigate rather than instigate. My voice wasn't strong enough and Samar and her family continue to suffer as a result of the Taliban threats while the party, particularly the so-called human rights upholders within the party, continues to be guilty of the crime of oblivion and instigation.
ISLAMABAD, May 3: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Afzal Khan Lala revealed Sunday that public flogging of the unfortunate Swati girl did take place, but he differed substantially from the hitherto reported version of the event.
Khan Lala was speaking at a news conference at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad.
He said a boy, who had joined the Taliban, had a liking for the girl but the marriage proposal was refused by the family. One day an electrician was called to repair an electric glitch in the girl’s house, and the boy rushed to the Taliban with an accusation that a Na Mahrem (outsider) had entered the house which was followed by the flogging of the girl.
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This is the unabridged documentary on the practice of Swara.
Swara is the Pukhtun tradition of giving (and in most cases an unwilling) daughter/female of the clan to the enemy in order to end an old rivalry. It is actually more like blood money/price where a girl is substituted for money. If scrutinized, this barbaric tradition is also against the faith of the people who practice it, since according to Islamic jurisprudence; a girl or a woman cannot be given as a trade agreement. A tribal custom which forces families to give their daughters away in marriage as "compensation" to aggrieved parties is deeply entrenched in local culture and needs to be handled very carefully, according to analysts and rights activists.
Dar Pa Dar is a documentary on the plight of Afghan refugee women who have silently borne the brunt and traumas of the war in Afghanistan. Left to raise families alone and learning to deal with the pain of husbands, sons and fathers returning severely handicapped or not at all. Now they face even more agony as they unwillingly leave behind those th
This is a short intro intended as a training video for police, and other organizations that are helping to prevent Swara. It also includes some of the success stories and gives a face to some of the girls that have been saved with timely intervention.