Shaista Bukhari, where do you come from? Which are your roots?
I grew up in a village, Kot Noor Shah, near Multan in the district of Lodhran. My father belonged to a rural area whereas my mother was from urban vicinity. My father worked for the department of forestry of the Government. I was brought up in a rustic environment so naturally my sympathies were with farmers and labourers.

Did it have influence on you?
When I was a child, I used to see those people working hard from dawn till dusk while being not paid proper wages. If a woman plucked 2 mann (80 kilos) of cotton from the field in harvesting season, she was only given 2 kilos of cotton as her wage, which according to recent monetary value costs only 75 Rupees (approximately 1.25 $). Similarly at marriage ceremonies, I used to see wealthy women wearing costly gold jewellery and poor women without anything; so I wondered why.

Did you study in higher education?
My elder brother worked in a bank and he was left-wing politically. He is the one who paid for my studies. I completed my graduation and joined a private school system as an Admin Officer with unanswered questions in my mind. I studied in the sector of education sector for seven years and graduated. Then I decided to join the development sector to work for improving the living conditions of poor and marginalized rural women.

What are the major problems of women in Pakistan?
The major cause of women’s issues in Pakistan and a threat to women is the patriarchal pattern of society which disturbs the balance of power, creating a huge gender gap. Women have neither access to resources, nor the right to participate in political processes and they do not have social rights. At the same time, the culture and the false interpretations of religious texts are used to justify this masculine structure and constitute a major threat to women’s security.

So you decided to create an association for them?
I knew that with my own capacity I would be able to help only two or three women. So, one of my teachers guided me to form an organization for these women and on 8th March 1999, I formally laid the foundation stone of Women’s Rights Association (WRA ) to organize a platform for deprived women and launch a collective struggle for women’s rights.

Shaista, where do your energy and your commitment for WRA come from?
When I see a woman becoming a victim of this patriarchal society, being deprived of her basic human rights, this makes me really upset. When I help such women, I catch sight of a ray of hope in their eyes and that restores my energy. A day will come when they will be free from all kinds of discrimination.

Why are you so involved in this struggle?
I built this project by myself and I endured all those sufferings which a woman in our society faces. I consider myself a bit privileged as compared to other women in the sense that I am aware of my rights and I had the opportunity to study. In spite of it, I am still facing discriminatory practices in this masculine society.

What hopes do you have for the Pakistani society?
If the work for women’s rights keeps on going in the same fashion, I can imagine a fairer and freer society. The work done by the media, NGOs and other civil organizations helps raise the awareness of Pakistani people to gender issues, but there still remains a long way to go in changing mentalities.

FDH