Written by: Eeman Amjad
Posted on: April 28, 2015 | 
(l-r) Dr. Sultan-i-Rome, Shirin Gul and Tabassum Adnan
Tabassum Adnan, the representative of the women’s jirga, elaborated on the creation of the ‘Khwendo Jirga’ or the ‘sister’s council’. Tabassum herself was a victim of child marriage, and later, of domestic abuse. However, after leaving her husband, she transformed her life to empower women in the decision-making process. Her rationale was, “if you can use us to resolve conflict, then why shouldn’t we be allowed to have a voice regarding our own destiny?” Unequivocally rejecting the practice of Swara, she emphasized the need to protect voiceless women against this practice. After being rejected from male jirgas and other state institutions, she decided to form her own women’s jirga, which would be different from all other jirgas in that it wouldn’t decide the fate of others, but would use state institutions and laws to resolve issues and protect women.
While the women on the panel voiced the need for enhancing space for women in society, the men on the panel approached the topic very differently. Dr. Sultan-i-Rome, a historian, addressed the misrepresentation of jirgas in the media. Jirga is not supreme, he iterated. There is no leader; it is a roundtable for negotiations with no fixed members. He was quick to dismiss the Khwendo Jirga as simply another NGO working in the development sector. He also believed that while women were not given a voice in the jirga’s decision, the men were also excluded. He voiced his concern that the oppression and deprivation that was inflicted upon men was never highlighted. Similarly, Ahmed Fouad dismissed the debate, as he felt that Pushtuns were unnecessarily scrutinized for oppressing women, and that other cultures and societies in the country, such as Punjabis, were more violent towards their women.
The debate heated up further as the floor opened for questions. An audience member from FATA insisted that the jirga system served only the elite, while women and poor families were excluded from the decision-making process. Finally, Shirin Gul ended the discussion by stating that these women were not looking to abolish any system, but to reform it and give space to the voiceless.
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