ISLAMABAD, 30 June 2005 — Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf yesterday said Mukhtaran Mai was free to go anywhere she pleases, meet anyone she wants and say whatever she like.
Musharraf yesterday defended his government’s efforts to protect the rights of women as he regretted the ordeal faced by Mukhtaran, the victim of gang rape ordered by a village council.
Responding to several e-mails addressed to him on the subject of Mukhtaran, Musharraf said she was not under detention and was free to travel anywhere she pleased, Online news agency reports.
“Let me make it absolutely clear that Mukhtaran Mai is free to go wherever she pleases, meet whoever she wants and say whatever she pleases,” Musharraf said on his personal website (www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk) in response to a series of e-mails about Mukhtaran. “I have full faith in her and in her patriotism.”
“I am deeply pained on this unfortunate incident. Whilst I sincerely regret what Mukhtaran Mai had to endure, the government is taking action to remedy it,” he said.
Washington strongly criticized Islamabad earlier this month after Musharraf barred Mukhtaran from traveling to the United States to speak about her ordeal to women’s rights groups. Musharraf was reported as saying he ordered the travel ban because he thought her US visit would give Pakistan bad publicity. Islamabad dropped the ban a few days later.
“I have already publicly stated that I took the decision to stop her from going to the US myself,” Musharraf wrote.
“I took this decision in the best national interest of Pakistan because I truly believed that the invitation would have tarnished Pakistan’s international image rather than help improve the lot of women folk in Pakistan or elsewhere in the world.”
“I believe there was a strong ulterior intent of maligning Pakistan by vested interests, rather than sincerely helping Mukhtaran Mai out.”
Musharraf said his decision was misinterpreted and it was unfairly assumed the government was not supportive of Mukhtaran in her quest for justice. These assumptions were absolutely incorrect.
“I am an ardent advocate of women’s rights as can be seen by the many policies made for them during my tenure, as such I would be the last one to have opposed an effort which I believed would have assisted their struggle,” he said.
Musharraf insisted that violence against women was “not peculiar to Pakistani society alone. It is a worldwide phenomena and a curse on mankind”.
Thirteen men have been formally charged with raping Mukhtaran on the orders of a village council as punishment for her brother’s alleged affair with a woman from an influential clan.
