Wasif Ali Wasif; a Famous Sufi Urdu Writer and Poet

Wasif Ali Wasif (15 January 1929 – 18 January 1993) was a teacher, writer, poet and sufi from Pakistan. He was famous for his unique literary style. He used to write short pieces of prose on topics like love, life, fortune, fear, hope, expectation, promise, prayer, happiness, sorrow and so on. He was the regular columnist of Pakistan Urdu Newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt. In his life most of his columns were combined to form books with his own selected title. He did poetry in Urdu and Punjabi languages. Probably no contemporary Urdu writer is more cited in quotations than he is. Later years he used to answer questions in specially arranged gatherings at Lahore attended by the notable community. Some of these sessions were recorded in audio and were later published as Guftgoo (talk) series. His mehfils never had a set subject nor did he lecture on chosen topics. His way was to ask people if they had questions and then he responded to these in his highly original style. He has left behind over 35 books to his credit and his thought was more on mysticism, spirituality and humanity.

Wasif Ali Wasif was born in 15 January, 1929 at District Khushab. His father Malik Muhammed Arif was a teacher. He received his religious education under the supervision of his father. He got primary education in a local school in Khushab. He passed Matriculation examination from Govt. High School Khushab in 1944. His maternal grandfather, a skilled educationist, was appointed as Headmaster at a Govt. school in Jang. Therefore, he was sent to his maternal. He did F.Sc from Govt. Inter college Jhang and graduation from Govt. Degree college Jhang. He was a hardworking student who passed every examination by obtaining first division. Then he moved to Lahore; here he obtained MSC in Mathematics from Government Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore and Masters in English from Government College, Lahore.

Wasif Ali Wasif died on January 18, 1993. Being famous for Sufism and respected by many people, he is usually referred to as Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif. His shrine is located in Lahore at 25 Bahawalpur Road, near Chawk Chuburjee. His Urs (Religious Festival) is celebrated every year from 22nd to 24th of the month of Rajab.

Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif did his master in mathematics. At first he taught in some private institutions for some time, but then he founded Lahore College for English later 'Lahore English college' in 1958. In a short span of time his fame as a very able, benign, competent and dutiful teacher spread around. It was due to ever increasing number of students he started teaching students in two shifts.

Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif was so much given to silence. He spent most part of the day in this tranquility, but when he spoke there was nothing that was not quotable. His written and spoken words are quotable for their content as well as their construction. Master of aphorism, he has almost a miraculous ability to capture a rainbow of meaning in a few dewdrops of well-chosen words. Of this it were writings in newspaper that secured him a permanent place in the gallery of stylist prose writers. Though his main claim to fame is his writings, a select circle knows that he was an equally great a conversationalist. Ashfaq Ahmed, the conversationalist par excellence of our time has said, “The sentences we concoct are our piece of craft, Wasif’s lines came from somewhere else.” Hanif Ramay is of the view that “Wasif’s prose influences like the poetry of Iqbal.” Few original thinkers have expressed so lofty thoughts in so simple a style. He is as such a common man’s philosopher.

A Na'at by WasifHazrat Wasif Ali Wasif was indeed a dervesh and sufi and in the final part of his life acted as a murshid to many. He was a person in possession of great knowledge and wisdom. He considered himself as a continuation of the great Sufi tradition, imparting useful knowledge, strong faith, hope and love to the ailing hearts. Qudratullah Shahab, Ashfaq Ahmed and Hanif Ramay attended lectures of Wasif Ali Wasif.

It was in the last writing of Qudratullah Shahab which appeared in the Urdu Newspaper Daily Jang describing that if a person reaches a crossroads of his life, he can find a right path through Wasif Ali Wasif.

Aril Fool:be Alert

http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101486532&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20120331

Prof. Kam C.Wong:Criminologist

Professor Wong earned his B.A. (Hons) and J.D. from Indiana University
(Bloomington). He obtained his Ph.D. in criminal justice from SUNY -Albany, and earned
the Remington Award for Distinguished Work in Law and Social Science.

Professor Wong was an Inspector of Police with the Hong Kong Police and was awarded the
Commissioner's High Commendation. He was a one-time black belt karate instructor for
over 20 years. He has practiced and taught law in the U.S. and Hong Kong.

Professor Wong was a former Managing Attorney of Legal Service Corporation in Michigan
and Corporate Counsel for Everex, a public listed company. He was the Director of Chinese
Law Program at Chinese University of Hong Kong. He served as the vice-president (1999 to
2000) and vice-chair (2000 to 2002) to Hong Kong Society of Criminology. He is currently
an Associate Fellow of Center of Criminology, Hong Kong University. He is an organizer
and founding member of Asian Association of Police Studies, of which he was the
vice-President (2001-2) and President (2002-3).

Professor's Wong's publications (over 80 articles and book chapters) appeared
in Police Quarterly; Columbia Journal of Asian Law; Georgetown Journal of Law and Public
Policy; Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology; British Journal of
Criminology; Asian Journal of Criminology; Australian Journal of Law and Society; China
Perspective (French); Crime Review (Korea); China Review; Herald of Law (Yugoslavia);
International Journal of the Sociology of Law; Criminal Law Bulletin; Journal of
Information Law & Technology; Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal; John Marshall
Journal of Computer and Information Law, Education and Law Journal, Asia-Pacific Journal
on Human Rights and the Law, Michigan Journal of Race & Law.

Professor Wong was an editor with the Journal of Crime and Delinquency and Managing
Editor for Police Practice and Research: An International Journal. He was the
Editor-in-Chief, Occasional Paper Series, Chinese Law Program. He is currently on the
Editorial Board of International Journal of Comparative Criminology, Open Journal of Law,
Open Journal of Sociology and Asian Policing.

Professor Wong's latest books published are USA PATRIOT ACT: The Impact of USA
Patriot Act on American Society: An Evidence Based Assessment (2007)and The Making of USA
Patriot Act: Legislation, Implementation, Impact (Beijing: China Law Press, 2008)

Professor Wong is working on three books: Policing in Chinese Characteristics (Peter
Lang, 2008), Cyberspace Goverance in China (Nova Science Publications, 2009)
(Forthcoming), and Police Reform in China (2009)(In progress).

Professor Wong is a legal consultant to Canadian government on China policing and
criminal process issues and was an expert observer at the United Nations Congress on the
Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. He is a foreign expert to Ministry of
Public Security, People's Republic of China and provided consultation to Hong Kong
Police. He was on the advisory board of the Yale in China - Law program. He was a
visiting scholar/fellow at Scarman Centre, University of Leicester and visiting scholar
at Institute of Criminology, Cambridge University, Cyberspace Institute, George
Washington University, D.C.

Professor Wong has been a regular columnist with the Hong Kong Standard (1998), South
China Morning Post (1999), Hong Kong Economic Journal (2000) and Apple Daily (2001) on
law and order issues. He also contributed to Far Eastern Economic Review, Apple Daily and
other major newspapers in Hong Kong. He was a frequent commentator on Hong Kong law and
justice issues with RTHK, Commercial Radio, Radio Free Asia, TVB, ATV and CNN. He was an
editor-columnist (2002) of a web based crime and justice journal organized by Korea
National Police University faculties (Crime Review).

Honor killing in Pakistan

Honor killing in Pakistan

An honour killing is the murder due to perceived loss of wider family status owing to the actions or status of the victim. In the West, honour killing is almost exclusively associated with the killing of females by close family members with the aim of undoing the 'loss' caused by actions deemed to be offensive to their culture, particularly in terms of 'sexual immodesty', including adultery, refusal to accept arranged (sometimes forced) marriage, being a victim of rape, and merely refusing to adhere to hijab dress code. If victims are male, then the perpetrator is likely to be the family of the woman with whom the victim is accused of having a relationship.

The killing of (a possibly adulterous) wife by an enraged husband or the killing of a male by the family of (a supposedly dishonoured) female is or was common and often condoned in many cultures. Such a cultural attitude was often reflected in a reduced sentence for such a murder by the judicial system. However the killing of females by their own family members is rare except in tribal cultures of the Middle East, Near East and South Asia. In the West, such murder is perceived to be exclusively associated with Muslim communities. Honour killing of female family members occurs among some rural Muslim communities with a strongly feudal tribal culture, as well as Druze tribes in some Arab countries and Pakistan, although it is much rarer or non-existent in the Muslim communities of Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, most of Central Asia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, sub-Saharan Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia. It also occurs among Sikh adherents in India and Canada. In the book Shame, Jasvinder Sanghera claimed that some Sikhs in Britain practice honour killings.

Honor crimes are acts of violence, usually murder, committed by male family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonor upon the family. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce — even from an abusive husband — or (allegedly) committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that "dishonors" her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life.

However, it should be noted that the term honour killing applies to killing of both males and females in cultures that practice it. For example, during the year 2002 in Pakistan, it is estimated that 245 women and 137 men were killed in the name of Karo-Kari in Sindh. These killings target women and men who choose to have relationships outside of their family's tribal affiliation and/or religious community

Honor Killings in Pakistan Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person. Men and women of full age without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry or to have a family. They entitled to equal rights as to marriage and its dissolution. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the attending spouses. The family is the natural and fundamental group, unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and state."Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "The right to life of women in Pakistan is conditional on their obeying social norms and traditions"Hina Jilani, Lawyer and Human Rights Activist  "Women in Pakistan are killed like hens; they have no way to escape and no say in what happens to them"

Introduction

Women in Pakistan face all kinds of gross violence and abuse at the hands of the male perpetuators family members and state agents. Multiple form of violence includes rape; domestic abuse as spousal murder, mutilation, burning and disfiguring faces by acid, beatings; ritual honour killings and custodial abuse and torture. Every year in Pakistan hundreds of women, of all ages and in all parts of the country, are reported killed in the name of honour. Many more cases go unreported. Almost all go unpunished. The lives of millions of women in Pakistan are circumscribed by traditions, which enforce extreme seclusion and submission to men many of whom impose their virtually proprietorial control over women with violence. For the most part, women bear the traditional male control over every aspect of their bodies, speech and behaviour with stoicism, as part of their kismat (fate), but exposure to media, the work of women's rights groups and the greater degree of mobility have seen the beginnings of women's rights awareness seep into the secluded world of women. But if women begin to exert these rights, however tentatively, they often face more repression and punishment: the curve of honour killings has increased parallel to the rise in the awareness in rights. State indifference, discriminatory laws and the gender bias of much of the country's police force and judiciary have ensured virtual impunity for perpetuators of honour killings. In the international human rights arena, honour crimes against women are understood as a form of domestic violence, i.e. violence against women in the family or community. Based on the dichotomy of private and public spheres and perception that the former was somehow less significant, domestic violence was earlier perceived as private acts within the family and not as an issue of civil and political rights. The United Nations has explicitly recognized violence against women as human rights issue involving state responsibility. The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women has defined domestic violence as “violence perpetrated in the domestic sphere which targets women because of their role within that sphere or as violence which is intended to impact, directly and negatively, on women within the domestic sphere. Such violence may be carried out by both private and public actors and agents. This conceptual framework intentionally departs from traditional definitions of domestic violence, which address violence perpetrated by inmates against inmates

Concept of Honour:

The time has come to put an end to such violence against women. It is paradoxical that women who enjoy such a poor status in society and have no standing in family should become a focal point of a false and primitive concept of family honor, which they are accepted to uphold at the expense of their inclinations and preference in the matters of marriage. "Honour is only a pretax to murder women for property and in many cases, for getting lighter punishment for heinous crimes"

The logic of tribal tradition turns conceptions of victim and perpetrator, right or wrong on their own head: women who are killed or flee a killing are not victims but are considered guilty in the tribal setting. The man to whom a woman belongs, whether a wife, sister or daughter, has to kill her to restore his honour. He is the victim as he has suffered loss first to his honour and then of the woman he has to kill. Consequently he is the aggrieved person with whom the sympathies with the tribal setting lie, not the possibly innocent woman he killed. A man whose honour has been damaged must publicly demonstrate his power to safeguard it by killing those that damaged it and therefore restore it. In the tribal setting an honour killing is not a crime but a legitimate action, seen as the appropriate punishment for those who contravene the honour code. The man who kills for reasons of honour becomes ghairatman (possessing honour) and is morally and legally supported by his kinsmen. A man's ability to protect his honour is judged by his family and his neighbours and is taunted by tano ( institution bordering insult ) that he is " socially impotent" and beghairat (without honour) if he fails to kill a woman of his household who has damaged his honour. Honour Killings are consequently not hidden away but openly performed, often ritually and with the maximum spilling blood. Further, the family of alleged karo never kill as they do not lose honour-on contrary by capturing other man's wife or daughter, they have increased their honour. The use of word honour for such a dishonourable act is a tragedy. The people who take honour pride in those killings should be ashamed and not proud. All over the world women are provided the right of freedom if independence to make decisions regarding their own life.

Honour Of Man

The possession and control of desirabe commodities, especially zan, zar, zameen( women, gold and land) is closely linked with perception of man's honour. These objects are worthy of possession and need to be control on account of their inherent value. Ghairat (honour) is closely linked with izzat, respect or standing in society. Izzat bases itself on possession , wealth, and property. " A man's property , wealth and all that is linked with these are the sum of total value and therefore it is an integral part of honour of man, tribe etc. Therefore when the rights of the women are transferred from her father to the man she is marrying, the guardianship of honour shifts as well". A key observation is that "although honour is located in material wealth, the language and expression of honour resides in the body. Women's bodies are considered to be the repository of family honour". Honour in the traditional settings is a male prerogative it is men who possess zan, zar and zamin that allows them to hold their heads up; women have no honour of their own.

Origin Of  Honour-Killings

Originally a Baluch and Pashtun tribal custom, honour killings are founded in the twin concepts of honour and commodification of women. Women are married off for a bride price paid to the father. This was basically a baloch and pashtun tribal custom, honour killings are not only reported in Baluchistan, NWFP and Upper Sindh which has a Baloch influx, but in Punjab province as well. If this commodity is 'damaged' the proprietor, the father or husband, has a right to compensation. If a husband kills his wife for alleged sexual misbehavior and alleged 'lover' gets away, the latter has to pay the husband compensation, for the wife that was lost and for his own life, which was spared. Often the dead woman's alleged 'lover' hands over a sister to the husband, in addition to a larger amount of money.

The Rationale of Honour Killings

Two main factors contribute against women in the name of honour: women's commodification and conceptions of honour. The concept of women as an object or commodity, not a human being endowed with dignity and rights equal to those of men, is deeply rooted in tribal culture. Dr. Tahira Shahid Khan of Shirkatgah, a woman's resource center, points out: "Women's are considered the property of the males in their family irrespective of their class, ethnic or religious groups. The owner of the property has the right to decide its fate. The concept of ownership has turned women into a commodity which can be exchanged, bought and sold." Similarly, a close observer of women's issues in Sindh, journalist Nafisa Shah says: " In the tribal society of Sindh and Baluchistan, a woman is equated with money…..But although she has monetary value, her worth is essentially that of a commodity and this view goes far towards creating a situation when she may be butchered if she transgresses the conditions under which she is bound to a man for life. She may also be freely traded or given away as part of a karo-kari settlement." Ownership rights are at stake when women are to be married, almost always in Pakistan by arrangement of their parents. A major consideration is the young woman's future inheritance rights over family property or assets. In Pakistan, feudal and tribal customs dictate that property be kept in the family. It is not uncommon for girls to be married to a paternal uncle or aunt's sons….. so that control over the estate (jagir) is not weakened which would happen if a daughter married an outsider. Feudals do not want their jagirs dismembered on any account. To keep daughters in the paternal family, they are sometimes married to paternal cousins 10-20 years younger than them (in some syed [descendent of the prophet] in families of Punjab and Sindh, parents wait until a son is born to a paternal). A girl 15-20 years old then raises her would-be husband. She has no choice. What if there is no paternal uncle available? Maternal cousins become acceptable in that situation. What if there is no maternal cousin? Then the woman has to undergo the ceremony of haq-baksh-wai (marriage with the Quran) [The practice of marrying a woman to the Quran, supposedly with her consent, is reportedly on the decline, but women activists believe that it is still found among syeds, descendant of the prophet, in upper Sindh. Syeds only marry within their community; on account of their high status, syed women observe strict seclusion to the extent that some may never leave the home in which they are born.]. This is more common in Sindh. In Punjab daughters are kept unmarried till the age of menopause when they take up the Quran and Tasbih [prayer beads] voluntarily. While women are usually forced to accept such martial decisions made by their fathers, men have the possibility to marry a second wife according to their liking and lead a life in the public sphere where they can find fulfillment. Women by contrast are in the vast majority of cases confined almost entirely to the char divari, the four walls of the home. The commodification of women is also evident in that every marriage in tribal society involves payment of the bride price (vulver in NWFP and Balochistan and verkro in Sindh). The girl or woman is exchanged for a price in the market. The price is paid by the groom to the father's to the groom's/husband's possession and custody. The bride price varies according to status, health, beauty and age of the woman and, like other possessions, the bride subsequently adds to the honour of the groom. To receive a bride in exchange for a daughter is honourable not only to the family but also to the woman concerned whose worth is therby acknowledged.

The Pashtoon have codified the honour system in the Pashtoonwali, it revolves around four concepts: 'malmastya', the obligation to show hospitality; 'badal', revenge; 'nanawaty', asylum; and 'nang', honour. A man's property, wealth and all that is linked with these is a sum total of his honour value. A woman is also an object of value and therefore is an integral part of the honour of a man, tribe etc. Therefore when the rights of a woman are transferred from a father to the man she is marrying, the guardianship of honour shifts as well. Perceived as the embodiment of the honour of their family, women must guard their virginity and chastity. By entering an adulterous relationship a woman subverts the order of things, undermines the ownership rights of others to her body and indirectly challenges the social order as a whole. She becomes black, kari (Sindhi) or siahkari (Baluch). Womens' bodies must not be given or taken away except in a regulated exchange, effected by men. Women's physical chastity is of upper most importance and by the merest hint of 'illicit' sexual interest a woman loses her inherent value as an object worthy of possession and therefore her right to life. In most tribes, there is no other punishment for a woman accused of 'illicit' sex but death.

Kari's remain dishonoured even after death. Their dead bodies are thrown in rivers or buried in special hidden kari graveyards. Nobody mourns for them or honours their memory by performing their relevant rights. Karo's by contrast are reportedly buried in the communal graveyard. There are different modes of honour killings. In Kand Kot and its suburbs, the kari woman is dressed in red. Henna is applied to her hands, then she is taken to the bank of the river where she is shot or slaughtered with an axe.Wiping the blood from the razor on the dirty palm of his left hand, the man turned to the left ear and slashed it off amid screams beseeching him to pardon her. The nose and ears were then placed atop her the victim's head and the man holding her hair slowly loosened his grip, walked away from the scene while the other two stretched her arms as if they would detach the limbs from her body. Amid her shrieks, the gunman took out his gun and pulled the trigger while others repeated their earlier words, "This is the fate of the kari." The bullet killed the girl instantly. She collapsed and the two men simultaneously raised their legs, violently kicked the body away into the canal. In some areas, such women are sold. A rotten finger, should be amputated, says a proverb in Lal Garh of Dera Ghazi Khan. It is a common practice that a sold woman is abandoned by her family. A few tribes in upper Sindh like the Mehars do not physically kill a woman accused of being a kari, instead they banish them, marrying them to far away tribes. Their original community must never see a banished woman again and she must never visit her family. In a world where individual identity is closely linked to being part of a community such banishment maybe experienced as an extremely harsh punishment.

Reasons for the increasing incidents of Honour Killings.

There are a number of reasons for the incidence of honour-killings:

1. Tribalization of formal laws: Some observers have also pointed out that the "apparent tribalization of formal law" may have created the impression of official sanction for this orientation which plays in to the popular perception that it is acceptable to take the law in to one's own hands.

2. Brutalization of society:"The progressive brutalization of Pakistani society over the past few decades" is partly responsible. It was brutalized when capital punishment was made a trivial matter by prescribing it as the minimum punishment for a variety of breaches of martial law regulation, and when several new offences added to the capital crimes. It was brutalized when Zia-ul-Haq gathered crowds to witness a hanging in public squares or when individuals in authority harangued their audiences with resolve to hang people by lamp posts…

3. Short-coming of official judicial system: The resource to tribal justice and the implicit acknowledgement that rural populations fare best under this system, is widely and increasingly seen to be inefficient, expensive and inaccessible to the general public.

4. Awareness-one of the reasons: More women are now aware of their rights. This credit largely goes to the awareness raising work women's rights groups but also to the media and mobility of women. Women's refusal to comply with the decision or traditions to violate their newly discovered rights has led to backlash from men apprehending loss from control, involving violence, killings and other such threats. "There is a fear of change (viewed as westernization) and the repercussions of this fear/reactions are borne by women. This reactionary trend results in a great number of honour killings in urban areas where women are more mobile and there is a bigger chance that their activities will be seen as suspect".

5. Seeking Of Heavy Weapons: The increased access to heavy weapons by rural population in the wake of Afghanistan conflict, has made easier to settle honour issues, violently.

6. Economic Decline: The economic decline of the vast rural populations has delayed education and democratization and increased the lure to exploit the honour system and kill women for the sake of compensation payment. The stress factors of growing poverty and deprivation contribute to the 'demand' factor.

7. Government's Failure To Seek Effective Measure: Key among the contributing factors are the government's failure to seek effective measures to end the practice and the virtual impunity with which such killings are carried out. The bias laws like Hadood, Qiyas and Diyat have contributed to the increase in Honour Killings. The discrimination of the Police and the Judiciary also contributes to the increase in honour killings. Lack of training of medico-legal personnel, inadequate equipment and facilities, inappropriate focus on the virginity status, haphazard procedures, mistreatment of victims, the biased role of the office of the medical examiner and the wrong use of the medical evidence at trial, all lead to the increased level of discrimination against women which in fact is being carried out by our government.

Causes Of Honour-Killings

1. The Widening Perception Of Honour-Killings:The number of honour killings appears to be steadily increasing as the perception of what constitutes honour widens. There are honour killings for rape, for seeking marriage and for seeking divorce. Women are not given a chance to clear up possible misunderstandings. Tradition decrees only one method to restore honour-to kill the offending woman.  Expressing a desire to choose a marriage partner and actually contracting a marriage with a partner of one's choice in a society where majority of marriages are arranged by parents are considered major acts of defiance. Women who marry a man of their choice take resource to state law, placing themselves outside the traditional shame; by the public nature of their action, they shame their guardians leading them to resort to violence to restore their honour. Frequently fathers bring charges of zina against their daughters who have married partners of their choice. But even when such a complaint is before a court, some men resort to private justice in the name of honour killings.

2. Misusing Honour Killings for Self Interests: This scheme provides easy opportunities for the unscrupulous to make money, obtain a woman in supposed compensation or to conceal other crimes, in the near certainty that the honour killings, if they come to court at all, will be dealt with leniently. As Nafisa Shah puts it, a whole 'honour killing industry' has sprung up with the range of stake holders including tribes, people, police administration and tribal mediators, "vested interests…use of excuse as a blanket cover for a multitude of sins".

3. To Camouflage Murder: Reports abound about men who, having murdered a man over issues not connected with the honour, kill a woman of their own family alleged as kari to the murdered man as an honour killing. By projecting the murder as an honour killing, the murderer will escape the death penalty and will evade the need to pay compensation for the murder.

4. Lust For Money: The lust for money appears to have motivated many men to accuse their mothers, wives or female relatives of dishonoring their families and killing them in order to extract a compensation from the alleged Karos who escape the killings. A man in village Gujrani, killed his 85-year-old mother as kari in 1992 and obtained 25,000 Rs from the man he declared the karo.

5. Property And land: The desire to obtain land may also lie behind some fake honour killings. "Land is the main issue in Sindh society, all the rest follows from that. If a woman owns land; her brother may kill her to get land; but even poor families now-a-days imitate this pattern even though there is no property to grab, simply to ascertain themselves as equals in the system".

Types Of Honour Killings

1. Honour Killings For seeking Marriage: The notion of the defilement of the male honour has extended over time to include not 0nly sexual 'misdemeanor' but also other acts of male control. Expressing a desire to choose a marriage partner and actually contracting a marriage with a partner of one's choice in a society where the majority of marriages are arranged by parents are considered major acts of defiance. Such acts are perceived to defile the honor of man to whom the young woman belongs and who can expect a bride price at her marriage. Women who marry a man of their choice moreover take recourse to state law, placing themselves outside the traditional scheme; by the public nature of their action they shame their guardians leading them to resort to violence to restore their honour. Marriage arrangements are delicate and seen to involve serious balancing acts; any disturbance of this balance by a woman refusing a father's choice are considered to affect the father's standing in society.

2. Honour Killings For Seeking Divorce:Several women who have sought divorce through the courts have been injured, killed or never been heard of again. Seeking divorce gives a strong signal of public defiance which calls for punitive action against such women to restore male honour within the traditional honour scheme.

3. Honour Killings For Rape: For a woman to be targeted for killing in the name of honour, her consent…or the lack of consent… in an action considered shameful is irrelevant to the guardians of honour. Consequently a woman subjected to rape brings shame on her family just as she would when engaging in a consensual sexual relationship. "A woman raped shames the community and dishonours the man", according to Nafisa Shah [Nafisa Shah: A Story in Black: Karo Kari killings in upper Sindh, Reuter Foundation Paper 100, Oxford, 1998, p.56. Statury Law under the Zina ordinance does not strictly differentiate between rape and fornication either, in fact, if a raped woman cannot prove that she did not consent to intercourse, she is considered to have committed zina, fornication, which attracts severe punishments Law in Pakistan

The Pakistan government bulldozed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2004 against "honour killings" in the National Assembly and adopted it on 26 October 2004 without any debate amidst opposition walkout. While the Bill has for the first time officially acknowledged the existence of this barbaric practice of honor killings, it is far from addressing the real issue of impunity which encourages the practice. Just when the bill was being presented in the National Assembly, enraged villagers in the hinterland of rural Punjab tied two persons to the railway track for marrying against the will of the family elders and were crushed under the wheels of a speeding train

Criminal Responsibility

The precise definition of criminal responsibility varies from place to place but, in general, to be responsible for a criminal act implies the perpetrator must understand what they are doing and that it is wrong. Clearly, most young children are too immature to fully appreciate the difference between right and wrong. Most countries have fixed an age below which a child cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions. Commonly this is set at ten years, although the age of criminal responsibility can vary between six and 12 years.

An individual may also not be held responsible for their crimes on grounds of mental disorder. It has long been recognized that some people do not have control over or understanding of their actions and the issue of criminal responsibility has been a subject of debate since ancient times. A landmark case occurred in 1843, when Daniel M'Naghten shot and killed the secretary to Britain's Prime Minister Robert Peel. The medical evidence found M'Naghten to be insane. This led to the famous M'Naghten Rule where someone could evade criminal responsibility if it could be proved that they did not understand the "nature and quality" of the act they were committing. Equally, they were not held responsible if they did understand what they were doing, but did not appreciate that it was wrong.

Over the years, there has been much discussion over the meaning of these terms. In countries or states that do not have the death penalty, the difference between being found guilty and responsible and guilty and not responsible is a prison term or a stay in a mental institution. Where the death penalty applies, it may mean the difference between death and life. In March 2005, the United States Supreme Court ruled that while persons under the age of 18-years-old can be held responsible for crimes and punished by imprisonment, they are not subject to the death penalty for crimes committed while under the age of 18.

There are many situations in which someone may not be responsible for their actions. Psychosis may mean they were out of touch with reality at the time of the crime. Criminals suffering from schizophrenia may cite "inner voices" driving them to murder someone. Disorders of impulse control may mean someone is unable to stop himself or herself from attacking someone. People whose actions and judgment are affected by prescription drugs may also not be fully responsible. Crimes with no apparent or rational motive may also be committed by those who are not fully responsible for their actions.

The forensic psychiatrist will examine the accused and will also look for evidence of whether he or she understood what they were doing was wrong. Wearing gloves or a mask or giving a false alibi or name are all clear indicators of knowing a criminal act is being committed. Suspects who dispose of evidence, flee the scene, or lie to police are also likely to appreciate that they are doing wrong. Some criminals can be very manipulative and may feign mental illness, thinking that a stay in a mental hospital is preferable to prison or, indeed, the death sentence. It is up to the forensic psychiatrist to examine all the evidence and the suspect and then to assess if the suspect is, or is not, responsible for the crime.

Commendation Certificate CC-II for getting the 1st position in MSc Criminology & Security Studies

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37 Stress Management Tips: Shahid Rashid

37 Stress Management Tips

Find your own escape route with our easy stress management tips.

Stress is a fact of life, but being stressed out is not. We don’t always have control over what happens to us, says Allen Elkin, Ph.D., director of the Stress Management Counseling Center in New York City, and yet, that doesn’t mean we have to react to a difficult, challenging situation by becoming frazzled or feeling overwhelmed or distraught. Being overly anxious is not just a mental hazard; it’s a physical one too. The more stressed out we are the more vulnerable we are to colds, flu, and a host of chronic or life-threatening illnesses. And the less open we are to the beauty and pleasure of life. For your emotional and bodily benefit, we’ve consulted experts and come up with 37 easy, natural alternatives to anxiety. Enjoy!

1. Breathe Easily“Breathing from your diaphragm oxygenates your blood, which helps you relax almost instantly,” says Robert Cooper, Ph.D., the San Francisco coauthor of The Power of 5 (Rodale Press, 1996), a book of five-second and five-minute health tips. Shallow chest breathing, by contrast, can cause your heart to beat faster and your muscles to tense up, exacerbating feelings of stress. To breathe deeply, begin by putting your hand on your abdomen just below the navel. Inhale slowly through your nose and watch your hand move out as your belly expands. Hold the breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly. Repeat several times.

2. Visualize Calm It sounds New Age-y, but at least one study, done at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, has found that it’s highly effective in reducing stress. Dr. Cooper recommends imagining you’re in a hot shower and a wave of relaxation is washing your stress down the drain. Gerald Epstein, M.D., the New York City author of Healing Visualizations (Bantam Doubleday Dell Press, 1989), suggests the following routine: Close your eyes, take three long, slow breaths, and spend a few seconds picturing a relaxing scene, such as walking in a meadow, kneeling by a brook, or lying on the beach. Focus on the details — the sights, the sounds, the smells.

3. Make Time for a Mini Self-Massage Maria Hernandez-Reif, Ph.D., of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, recommends simply massaging the palm of one hand by making a circular motion with the thumb of the other. Or use a massage gadget. The SelfCare catalog offers several, such as the S-shaped Tamm unit, that allow you to massage hard-to-reach spots on your back.

4. Try a Tonic A study at Duke University in Durham, NC, found homeopathy effective in quelling anxiety disorders. Look for stress formulas such as Nerve Tonic (from Hyland) or Sedalia (from Boiron) in your health food store, or consult a licensed homeopath.

5. Say Cheese Smiling is a two-way mechanism. We do it when we’re relaxed and happy, but doing it can also make us feel relaxed and happy. “Smiling transmits nerve impulses from the facial muscles to the limbic system, a key emotional center in the brain, tilting the neurochemical balance toward calm,” Dr. Cooper explains. Go ahead and grin. Don’t you feel better already?

6. Do Some Math Using a scale of one to 10, with one being the equivalent of a minor hassle and 10 being a true catastrophe, assign a number to whatever it is that’s making you feel anxious. “You’ll find that most problems we encounter rate somewhere in the two to five range — in other words, they’re really not such a big deal,” says Dr. Elkin.

7. Stop Gritting Your Teeth Stress tends to settle in certain parts of our bodies, the jaw being one of them. When things get hectic, try this tip from Dr. Cooper: Place your index fingertips on your jaw joints, just in front of your ears; clench your teeth and inhale deeply. Hold the breath for a moment, and as you exhale say, “Ah-h-h-h,” then unclench your teeth. Repeat a few times.

8. Compose a Mantra Devise an affirmation — a short, clear, positive statement that focuses on your coping abilities. “Affirmations are a good way to silence the self-critical voice we all carry with us that only adds to our stress,” Dr. Elkin says. The next time you feel as if your life is one disaster after another, repeat 10 times, “I feel calm. I can handle this.”

9. Check Your Chi Qigong (pronounced chee-gong) is a 5,000-year-old Chinese practice designed to promote the flow of chi, the vital life force that flows throughout the body, regulating its functions. Qigong master Ching-Tse Lee, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Brooklyn College in New York, recommends this calming exercise: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and parallel. Bend your knees to a quarter-squat position (about 45 degrees) while keeping your upper body straight. Observe your breathing for a couple of breaths. Inhale and bring your arms slowly up in front of you to shoulder height with your elbows slightly bent. Exhale, stretching your arms straight out. Inhale again, bend your elbows slightly and drop your arms down slowly until your thumbs touch the sides of your legs. Exhale one more time, then stand up straight.

10. Be a Fighter“At the first sign of stress, you often hear people complain, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’” says Dr. Cooper. The trouble is, feeling like a victim only increases feelings of stress and helplessness. Instead, focus on being proactive. If your flight gets canceled, don’t wallow in self-pity. Find another one. If your office is too hot or too cold, don’t suffer in silence. Call the building manager and ask what can be done to make things more comfortable.

11. Put It on Paper Writing provides perspective, says Paul J. Rosch, M.D., president of the American Institute of Stress in Yonkers, NY. Divide a piece of paper into two parts. On the left side, list the stressors you may be able to change, and on the right, list the ones you can’t. “Change what you can,” Dr. Rosch suggests, “and stop fretting over what you can’t.”

12. Count to 10 Before you say or do something you’ll regret, step away from the stressor and collect yourself, advises Dr. Cooper. You can also look away for a moment or put the caller on hold. Use your time-out to take a few deep breaths, stretch, or recite an affirmation.

13. Switch to Decaf Wean yourself slowly, or you might get a caffeine-withdrawal headache that could last for several days, cautions James Duke, Ph.D., the Fulton, MD, author of The Green Pharmacy (Rodale Press, 1997). Subtract a little regular coffee and add some decaf to your morning cup. Over the next couple of weeks, gradually increase the proportion of decaf to regular until you’re drinking all decaf. You should also consider switching from regular soft drinks to caffeine-free ones or sparkling mineral water.

14. Just Say No Trying to do everything is a one-way ticket to serious stress. Be clear about your limits, and stop trying to please everyone all the time.

15. Take a Whiff Oils of anise, basil, bay, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, rose, and thyme are all soothing, say Kathy Keville and Mindy Green, coauthors of Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art (Crossing Press, 1995). Place a few pieces of rock salt in a small vial, then add a couple of drops of the oil of your choice (the rock salt absorbs the oil and is much less risky to carry around in your purse than a bottle of oil). Open the vial and breathe in the scent whenever you need a quick stress release. Look for the oils in your local health food store.

16. Warm Up Try this tip from David Sobel, M.D., in San Jose, CA, author of The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook (I S H K Book Service, 1997) : Rub your hands together vigorously until they feel warm. Then cup them over your closed eyes for five seconds while you breathe deeply. The warmth and darkness are comforting.

17. Say Yes to Pressure Acupressure stimulates the same points as acupuncture, but with fingers instead of needles. Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, CA, recommends pressing on the following three points:

 •The Third Eye, located between the eyebrows, in the indentation where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead.

 •The Heavenly Pillar, on the back of the neck slightly below the base of the skull, about half an inch to the left or right of the spine.

 •The Heavenly Rejuvenation, half an inch below the top of each shoulder, midway between the base of the neck and the outside of the shoulder blade.

 •Breathe deeply and apply firm, steady pressure on each point for two to three minutes. The pressure should cause a mild aching sensation, but not pain.

18. Schedule Worry Time Some stressors demand immediate attention — a smoke alarm siren or a police car’s whirling red light. But many low-grade stressors can be dealt with at a later time, when it’s more convenient. “File them away in a little mental compartment, or make a note,” Dr. Elkin says, “then deal with them when the time is right. Don’t let them control you.”

 19. Shake It Up This quick exercise helps loosen the muscles in your neck and upper back, says Dr. Sobel: Stand or sit, stretch your arms out from your sides and shake your hands vigorously for about 10 seconds. Combine this with a little deep breathing, Dr. Sobel says, and you’ll do yourself twice as much good.

20. Munch Some Snacks Foods that are high in carbohydrates stimulate the release of serotonin, feel-good brain chemicals that help induce calm, says Dr. Cooper. Crackers, pretzels, or a bagel should do the trick.

21. Boost Your Vitamin Intake Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of Food and Mood (Owl Books, 1999), in Salem, OR, recommends that women take a daily multivitamin and mineral formula that contains between 100% and 300% of the recommended dietary allowances of vitamin B, as well as the minerals calcium, magnesium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc. Avoid stress formulas, which often contain large amounts of randomly formulated nutrients, such as the B vitamins, but little or nothing else, Somer says.

22. Get Horizontal If sex has been on the bottom of your to-do list for too long, move it to the top. Sex increases levels of endorphins, those mood-boosting chemicals in the brain, and it’s one of the best total-body relaxers around, says Louanne Cole Weston, Ph.D., a sex therapist in Sacramento, CA. Make a date with your mate, and don’t let anything get in the way.

23. Admit It Each of us has uniquely individual stress signals — neck or shoulder pain, shallow breathing, stammering, teeth gritting, queasiness, loss of temper. Learn to identify yours, then say out loud, “I’m feeling stressed,” when they crop up, recommends Dr. Rosch. Recognizing your personal stress signals helps slow the buildup of negativity and anxiety.

24. Space Out Look out the window and find something natural that captures your imagination, advises Dr. Sobel. Notice the clouds rolling by or the wind in the trees.

25. Try Tea By now most of us know about the calming properties of chamomile tea. But a steaming cup of catnip, passionflower, skullcap or kava kava also works, according to Dr. Duke. Whether you use tea bags or loose tea (one teaspoon of tea per cup of boiling water), steep for about 10 minutes to get the full benefits of the herbs.

26. Take a Walk It forces you to breathe more deeply and improves circulation, says Dr. Cooper. Step outside if you can; if that’s not possible, you can gain many of the same benefits simply by walking to the bathroom or water cooler, or by pacing back and forth. “The key is to get up and move,” Dr. Cooper says.

27. Soak it Up“When I have the time, nothing is more stress relieving for me than a hot bath,” Dr. Weston says. “But when I don’t have time, I do the next-best thing: I wash my face or even just my hands and arms with hot water. The key is to imagine that I’m taking a hot bath. It’s basically a visualization exercise, but the hot water makes it feel real.”

28. Play a Few Bars A number of recent studies have shown that music can do everything from slow heart rate to increase endorphins. Good bets: Bach’s “Air on the G-String,” Beethoven’s Pastorale symphony, Chopin’s Nocturne in G, Handel’s Water Music, or pianist George Winston’s CDs Autumn or December..

29. Fall for Puppy Love In a study of 100 women conducted last year at the State University of New York at Buffalo, researchers found that those who owned a dog had lower blood pressure than those who didn’t. If you don’t have a pooch, visit a friend’s: Petting an animal for just a couple of minutes helps relieve stress, researchers have found.

30. Practice Mindfulness Heighten your awareness of the moment by focusing intently on an object. Notice a pencil’s shape, color, weight and feel. Or slowly savor a raisin or a piece of chocolate. Mindfulness leads to relaxation.

31. Dial a Friend Sharing your troubles can give you perspective, help you feel cared for and relieve your burden.

32. Stretch Muscles tighten during the course of the day, and when we feel stressed out, the process accelerates. Stretching loosens muscles and encourages deep breathing. Molly Fox, creative fitness director at the Equinox Fitness Center in New York City, says one of the greatest stress-relieving stretches is a yoga position called the child pose, which stretches the back muscles. On a rug or mat, kneel, sit back on your heels, then lean forward and put your forehead on the floor and your arms alongside your legs, palms up. Hold for one to three minutes.

33. Say a Little Prayer Studies show that compared with those who profess no faith, religious and spiritual people are calmer and healthier.

34. Make Plans“Looking forward to something provides calming perspective,” Dr. Elkin says. Buy concert tickets, schedule a weekend getaway, or make an appointment for a massage.

35. Goof Off It temporarily removes you from a potentially stressful situations. Esther Orioli, president of Essi Systems, a San Francisco consultant company that organizes stress-management programs, keeps a harmonica in the drawer for when she’s feeling stressed out. Bonus: Playing it promotes deep breathing.

36. Straighten Up When people are under stress, they slump over as if they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. “Slumping restricts breathing and reduces blood and oxygen flow to the brain, adding to muscle tension and magnifying feelings of panic and helplessness,” Dr. Cooper explains. Straightening your spine has just the opposite effect. It promotes circulation, increases oxygen levels in your blood and helps lessen muscle tension, all of which promote relaxation.

37. Tiptoe Through the Tulips Tending your garden helps get you out of your head and lets you commune with nature, a known stress reliever. If you’re not a gardener, tend to a houseplant. Plants = growth = cycle of life, a nice reminder that stress, too, will pass.

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