The power of a name

NADRA announces women can retain their father's name on their CNIC, but this may just be a hollow measure in the way of women empowerment

“What is in a name?”

The Shakespearean question often crosses our lives here and there.

“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” Shakespeare resolves the issue with the landmark line, which has survived centuries.

I cannot challenge Shakespeare, but the name matters. It matters the most when it is being published in the newspaper. Not only names but their spellings too.

Recently, a Minute Mirror reader pointed out that we were misspelling the name of the opposition leader in the National Assembly. Oops! It emerged that after spelling his first name as Shahbaz, the three-time chief minister of Punjab, decided to write his name as Shehbaz Sharif. The new spelling regime was duly notified and disseminated to media houses through the DGPR.

Now, we will stick to Shehbaz, not Shahbaz.

The issue of the name struck my mind after reading a news item published on the back page of Minute Mirror on Monday that NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik has announced that women are now free to retain their father’s name on their CNIC after marriage.

Although there is no set rule that the name must be changed earlier, there is, however, an unofficial or a traditional understanding that a woman’s name will be changed after marriage. Due to this announcement, it has now been clarified that no such measure is required.

I asked a team member of the editorial board about the importance of the news item and heard that some people think the measure may lead to an era of women empowerment.

In the evening, I heard at a different place that although some people may think of this as a monumental move towards women empowerment in the country, it is actually just a cosmetic measure that holds no real value.

Some people may revel in the fact that now they can hold on to their identity but what they fail to realize is that there is no point of this identity without real empowerment. For so long women have been given scraps and in return made to be grateful towards those giving out the scraps. There has been no real women empowerment, therefore, such moves are not something to be celebrated.

Recently, the parliament proved to be a huge disappointment when it was unable to pass the prevention of domestic violence bill and labeled it as un-Islamic.

Moreover, time and again conferences are held where women’s issues are discussed without the presence of a single woman. Tell me, who controls the narrative in this country?

This is not real empowerment.

Real empowerment is when women earn and enjoy protection; women feel safe to travel alone on motorways at any time of the day or night without fear of being raped and then blamed for it.

It is when acid attack victims do not exist or if they do, their attacker is behind bars and justice is served. It is when children are not raped and killed and thrown in dumpsters. It is when boys are not raped in seminaries by seemingly religious, bearded men who act as the flag bearers of religion. It is where prominent men do not sit on talk shows and openly spew hate against the opposite gender.

So, it is not and never was about a name only.