‘Hum gunahgar aurtain’: Female rage takes centre stage at Adab Festival

Written several decades ago in a time much different from today, Kishwar Naheed’s feminist poem ‘Hum gunahgar aurtain’ (We sinful women) still rang true at the 10th edition of the Adab Festival held in Karachi, where conversation at a panel discussion centred around the rage, anger, and hope that fuels Pakistani women in their personal and professional lives.

Opening the conversation at the panel titled ‘Power women of Pakistan: her story, our future’, classical dancer, social activist and founder of the cultural action group Tehrik-i-Niswan, Sheema Kermani read out loud a poem by famed feminist poet Fahmida Riaz, ‘Ek ladki se’, which recounts the tale of a “captive princess”.

The panel also included MNA Sharmila Faruqui, TCS Group President Saira Awan Malik and was moderated by journalist Zarrar Khuhro.

Female rage

As Kermani finished reciting Riaz’s work, Khuhro asked, “There is as much hope in these words as there is anger. Would you be here today if you did not have this rage?”

Kermani responded that she would not be here if it were not for the rage she felt against the world.

“We women have a lot of rage, but we also have the desire to change that rage into positive action,” she said. For Kermani, the rage, she believed, was a driving factor in her work and activism.

“One can only take action when they are enraged,” she said. However, Kermani went on to add that, “women are also full of love, and it manifests itself in everything we do”.

Kermani, referencing Naheed’s poem, which the poet watched herself from the audience, recalled that, “’Hum gunahghar aurtain’ was an expression of anger as well —  how dare you call us sinful? Who are you to say what we do is sinful?”

Awan, however, offered a different perspective on the driving force behind her work and life. For her, empowerment came not from a place of anger, but from ambition and encouragement.

“My internal ingredient has always been a deep sense of purpose and focus,” she said, crediting her role models and the familial support she received growing up.

Echoing Kermani’s words, Faruqui recounted how she has always turned her rage into fuel, as she talked about the struggles she faced as a female politician and the recent bill she introduced in the National Assembly against domestic violence, which was passed on November 13.

Faruqui began by describing the ordeal of being a woman in politics, calling it “brutal and beautiful.”

“You are judged, underestimated, harassed, you are either too loud or too ambitious,” she lamented.

Shifting her attention back to the bill, she described her work as a part of her personal journey and hoped that people would acknowledge the “effort and long struggle that goes into working towards such legislation”.

Faruqui characterised the experience of getting the bill passed as “demeaning, humiliating, and yet somehow uplifting”. She recalled that the men in the assembly had told her that she was trying to break up marriages.

“The bill was returned to me at least six times, there were provisions removed, it was ridiculed, and made fun of, and there were moments where I felt completely alone,” she said, recalling the resistance she faced from both men and women alike. 

At this point, Kermani interjected and asked: “How many women are there in the assembly?”

Thirty replied Faruqui. When asked how many men there were, she said 300.

“There you go,” Kermani said, matter-of-factly, as she called for increased female participation in politics.

On corporate success

On being asked if women in workplaces should have to check their womanhood at the door, Awan said that women had innate characteristics which work well in corporate settings.

“They are natural problem solvers, more empathetic, not ego-driven. They are always looking to build organisational culture,” she explained.

Citing her experiences, Awan said, “Women in leadership often bring care, longevity in their roles.”

Khuhro chimed in, adding, “So inclusivity is not a buzzword; it is also good for business.”

Speaking about women’s participation in the workforce, Awan noted that in Pakistan, the number for female participation stood at 23 per cent.

She acknowledged that while there were societal barriers, there was also a greater need to address universal barriers that stopped women from entering the workforce.

“We need to put in place protective measures for women entering the corporate sector,” she said.

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