Locating the Storyteller in Silent Waters: Sabiha Sumar’s Cinematic Tale of Shared Histories and Divided Identities

In her multi award-winning feature film Silent Waters (2003), Pakistani woman filmmaker Sabiha Sumar connects the socio-political traumas of the Partition of India and creation of Pakistan (1947) with the onset of military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamization period (1977-1988) in Pakistan. Presenting a story based on real-life events, the film focuses on the impact of religious fundamentalism and nationalism on women in particular. Examining Silent Waters as an example of “history on film/film on history” (Rosenstone 2013), and film as an “agent, product, and source of history” (Ferro 1983), the discussion identifies and analyzes the filmmaker’s own tacitly embedded location and participation in the filmic narrative as an experiential ‘auto/bio-historiographer’, arguing for the value of this new paradigm in Cinema Studies.

Empowering Pakistani Woman: Impact of Education, Technology and Training Skills Development

Purpose: It is known fact that Currently Pakistani woman are facing several problems e.g., domestic violence, gender dominancy, gender discrimination and unequal distribution of power, rights and work, due the inadequacy of education. In this contemporary era of gender inequality woman empowerment is an essential area of study to be focused on. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the impact of education, technology and Skills development adopted for empowerment of women. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data was collected from private and government girls’ colleges of Hyderabad district Sindh. A survey technique was used to collect data using convenience non random sampling technique. Smart PLS responses analyzed with the sample size of 1184. Findings: Results of Structural equation modeling through Smart PLS supported the structural model. It was found that appropriate educational facilities, technology facilitation and training and skills development positively related to Pakistani woman empowerment. Implications/Originality/Value: Education is the milestone in empowering woman and the main factor in woman’s prosperity and development. In this scenario, education is a turning point in playing vital role in empowering woman because it enables the woman to face the challenges of contemporary time and make a significant change in their traditional roles and in their lives. Academician, policy makers and leaders of organizations must note this fact.

Experiences of Intersecting Inequalities for Christian Women and Girls in Pakistan

In Pakistan, where gender-based discrimination is already rampant, women and girls belonging to religious minority or belief communities face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination over and above those faced by an average Pakistani woman and girl. This policy briefing shares findings from a study on the situation of socioeconomically excluded Christian women and girls in Pakistan. During the research, they discussed their experiences of different forms of discrimination, which predominantly took place within their workplace (largely sanitary, domestic and factory work) and educational institutes, particularly in government schools. They described being restricted in their mobility by their families and communities who are fearful of the threats of forced conversion, and both poor and affluent women relayed experiences of harassment at healthcare and education facilities once their religious identity is revealed.

Female Identity De-Struction in Daniyal Mueenuddin’s About a Burning Girl

Language as a form of social practice is an essential tool to wield power and dominate the weak. What appears to be a simple narration of an anecdote may be a perpetuation of certain perspectives and a disguised manipulation of the reader. About a Burning Girl by Daniyal Mueenuddin is a text which depicts a married Pakistani woman of lower social strata struggling not just for her acceptance but also for her life. Socially as well as economically subjugated, she is a convenient scapegoat and the softest of the targets in a male dominated patriarchal society. To highlight the destruction/de-structuring of female identity through language in the text, in relation to Hodge and Kress’s (1993) analytical model, this study aims to analyze the selected text from the Marxist feminist perspective, which sees women as the exploited working class. Analysis of the representative syntagms in the selected text shows that the female subject, as perceived by the male author, is represented as a de-structured, voiceless, dead character. The study thus exposes the underlying ideology of the text and its social implication as discourse with respect to women being represented as weak, speechless objects of male manipulation in Pakistani literature.

Money, Politics and Gender Equality: An Analysis of Assets of Women Legislators in Pakistan (2002-13)

This paper studies the economic status of Women legislators through data from their assets submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan from 2002-2013. The findings indicate that strong financial status is an important pre-requisite for successful entry into the politics. This study found that the majority of elected women belong to an elite class. It is also evident that the common Pakistani woman is still miles away from the corridors of power because she does not have sufficient economic resources to participate in politics.

Case Report: Cerebral leukodystrophy and the gonadal endocrinopathy: a rare but real association

A 30 year old married Pakistani woman presented in January 2018 with an eight month history of progressive left sided weakness, ataxia, spasticity, underdeveloped secondary sexual characteristics and primary infertility. She was the elder sister of a 19 year old bed bound woman who was diagnosed with vanishing white matter (VWM) disease 12 months previously. The MRI scan of the brain demonstrated diffuse leukodystrophy and her hormonal assays were significant for premature ovarian insufficiency. Results from her genetic tests demonstrated a point mutation in eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (EIF2B). Thus, she was the second confirmed case of VWM from her family of 12 siblings with normal parents.

Case Report: Cerebral leukodystrophy and the gonadal endocrinopathy: a rare but real association

A 30 year old married Pakistani woman presented in January 2018 with an eight month history of progressive left sided weakness, ataxia, spasticity, underdeveloped secondary sexual characteristics and primary infertility. She was the elder sister of a 19 year old bed bound woman who was diagnosed with vanishing white matter (VWM) disease 12 months previously. The MRI scan of the brain demonstrated diffuse leukodystrophy and her hormonal assays were significant for premature ovarian failure. Results from her genetic tests demonstrated a point mutation in eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (EIF2B). Thus, she was the second confirmed case of VWM from her family of 12 siblings with normal parents.

SAFFRON DREAMS-A JOURNEY OF EVOLVING IDENTITY

Saffron Dreams is a tale of a woman set in the immigrant milieu. It narrates how resolve and resistance can cope with hatred and weakness could harness indigenous strength against othering. The novel vividly portrays how distinct identities vanish, rebirth and evolve amidst the challenges; challenges that threaten lives and existence. It describes the epic struggle of a Pakistani woman, coming from a conservative society, whose dreams die. The research explores the evolving identity of the protagonist; the subject matter of identity is discussed with theoretical background. The Analysis revolves round Arissa who after sudden collapse of marital bliss is pushed to edges by society. The powerful longing for a renewed identity helps Arrisa prepare to live at the cost of sacrificing her ‘hijab’ whom she thinks as a symbol of bondage with her deceased husband. The beholder lives on with new version of her dreams marked by the desires to come out of the clutches of ‘time’ on canvass of her life colored with uncertainties and fatigued compromises. The study is exploratory in purpose, following the content-based mode of analysis.