The court dismissed all the appeals. Five of the six men accused of gang rape in the case were ordered released from prison.

The outcome was surprising to many. Despite the sense of anger and frustration Mukhtaran Mai must be feeling now after a decade-long battle, she has so far publicly showed no despondency. After yesterday’s verdict, her twitter feed announced that “No court can weaken my resolve to stand against injustice.”

Of course, Mukhtaran would not be the first women to suffer from injustice. Hundreds of women are murdered each year, and most are the victims of ‘honour’ killings. More women are kidnapped. Others are burnt, either victims of acid attacks or domestic ‘accidents’ involving a gas stove while cooking. Many more women are sexually harassed at the workplace or in public spaces. And then there are the other high-profile rape cases that have grabbed headlines and shocked and angered us in the past: Dr Shazia Khalid and Sonia Naz.

Unfortunately, things do not seem to be improving. As stated in an Express Tribune editorial, 2010 gave women little to cheer about: “Thanks to the lethargy of the Senate, the Domestic Violence Bill was allowed to lapse while sections of the Protection of Women Act were nullified by the Federal Shariat Court. Rape and honour killings continue unpunished while women parliamentarians, who are most likely to speak out on these issues, are sidelined mainly because most of them were chosen on reserved seats.”

Sadly the increased awareness and discussions about the mistreatment of women in Pakistani society has provided little progress to their status. Tribal culture and backward traditions are steeped in misogynistic attitudes that can not easily be rinsed out of the mix. What’s more worrying, though, is that there are signs these outdated and unfair attitudes seem to be becoming more entrenched, if not more commonplace.

There is a long-overdue need for parliament and the judiciary to get serious about protecting women’s rights and ensuring women’s status as equal members of society through clearly worded and undiluted legislation, as well as consistently honest implementation of those laws. The case of Mukhtaran Mai is reminder of that. As the esteemed activist and commentator I.A. Rehman wrote for Newsline in 2005, “During the debate on the incidence of rape in Pakistan the government has tried to defend itself by cataloguing what it considers acts of great favour to Pakistan’s womenfolk. The flaw in this approach is obvious. No good acts that might have been done to promote the interest of women can erase the anguish and the shame that incidents of rape cause to Pakistani people every year. It is like telling a hungry and jobless young man to stop complaining because the government has built a motorway that runs close to his village. In any case, the government’s record leaves little to write home about.”

Below are a few articles from Newsline‘s archives that have tracked the struggles of women and the women’s movement in Pakistan and show that despite all the energy and rhetoric applied to the cause, hateful and outdated attitudes have blocked the way forward like mountains separating an arid plain from a flowing freshwater river beyond.

2002

Twice Damned By Sanna Bucha
A woman in Kohat alleges rape, but the court convicts her for adultery, and she is sentenced to death by stoning.

2003

Silence of the Lambs By Shimaila Matri Dawood
While attempts to combat sexual harassment in the workplace are increasing both in Asia and globally, in Pakistan, the issue remains largely unaddressed.

2005

Portrait in Black By Sairah Irshad Khan
Taking stock of the gains and setbacks for women in Pakistan given that “the incidence of physical, sexual or verbal violence within homes was thought to be amongst the highest in the world.”

Shame on Who? By Hina Jilani
It is the failure of the state to provide redress in rape cases that heaps shame upon our country.

Rape of Reason By I.A. Rehman
Musharraf’s thoughtless comments on rape victims fails to take ground realities into account.

2007

Women’s Voices By Muneeza Shamsie
Women writers get together to discuss how the web of censorship affects women’s voices.

Rendezvous with the ‘Others’ By Aliya Salahuddin
A filmmaker visits Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad in a bid to know the girls behind many a controversy up close.

Can Paradise be Regained? By Khadim Hussain
Once upon a time, festivals, freedom of movement for women, non-political maulvis, an efficient judicial system and a balanced political structure were all hallmarks of Swat.

2010

Pakistani Women Struggle for Equality at Work By Sabeen Jamil
Securing equal rights for women in the workplace and in trade unions is an ongoing struggle.