Candlelight vigil in Pakistan

Members of Pakistan’s civil society held an hour-long candlelight vigil here on Monday for the Delhi gang rape victim in solidarity with the protests in India against the culture of violence against women.

Braving the evening cold of Islamabad, a small clutch of men, women and children gathered outside a shopping arcade as the sun went down for the last time this year. Holding placards — some of which said “sisterhood goes beyond boundaries” — they urged shoppers to join in the vigil for an issue that affects all of womankind.

Some of the slogans raised at the vigil were “stop violence against Pakistani/Indian/Palestinian/Kashmiri women”, “

jahan kahin bhi zulm hoga, hum awaaz uthayaenge [We will raise our voices wherever there is an atrocity]” , “jab take aurat zulm sahegi, hum awaaz uthayaeng e [we will raise our voices as long as crime is committed against women].”

The protests in India against the gang rape in New Delhi of the 23-year-old student who died last weekend is being closely followed in Pakistan; not just on the social media but also in the news media.

Besides routine reportage, several newspapers have carried editorials and used the case to draw attention to violence against women in Pakistan.