ARTICLE
gressive agenda that got her killed. Passing a judgment
on her while saying that the judgment did not extend to
killing her does not help in any way. She did not ‘pollute’
our culture, norms or religion so you need not try so hard
to be seen as washing yourself of your association with
her. Yet many are spraying a disinfectant before condemning her murder. Who is a ‘role model’ in a society
where most people, benefitting from privilege of birth
or fortune, condone, aid or profit from some corruption
(moral or financial) every single day? How are any of
those saying ‘she was no role model’ themselves worthy of being emulated when they choose to stay silent
or be gagged in the face of injustice or naked abuse
of power only because they think they need to move
ahead in society? This includes me and you. Qandeel
Baloch does not or did not require our approval she
only asked for the right to make her own choices, to be
tolerated, to be allowed to exist. And we denied her even
that. It is not uncommon for victims of patriarchy to internalise the discourse that furthers it. Many victims of
domestic violence blame themselves in some measure
as if they are, somehow, responsible for bringing it upon
themselves. So it is my contention that Pakistani women
who distance themselves from Qandeel are in fact internalising patriarchal discourse instead of arguing that
she had a right to live by her choices, they first feel the
need to clarify that they disapprove of her actions or do
not see that a symbol of feminism has been lost. The
conformity expected of Qandeel Baloch, even and especially by women, is rooted in male-defined and malecontrolled norms. This is the real problem. Feminism
and the dignity of women is hurt each time a woman is
oppressed or killed for making her own choices. That is
how Qandeel Baloch was a symbol of feminism — she
represented all those who are marginalised and make
irreverent choices. Any harm that came her way therefore damages the greater cause of being able to break
taboos, of indulging in the healthy activity of challenging the ‘thinkable’ and asserting individual identity. The
threat she posed to what is thinkable is obvious from
the statement of a cleric who was embarrassed after being photographed with her. He reportedly thinks that her
death, albeit sad (notice the similarities with many women saying the same thing), will serve as a lesson for anyone who shows irreverence towards the self-proclaimed
scholars of religion.
This brings us to another contribution by Qandeel
Baloch: her refusal to revere those who want us to belie