‘We can’t go to war with the Taliban’

Ammara Ahmad: Women on reserved seats are not taken seriously. How do you feel about it?

Hina Pervez Butt: When I entered the parliament, I had the same mindset. But then I saw many women like me. I am from Convent, Kinnaird and LUMS – from a very privileged class of women who know how to speak and how to present. But women on reserved seats also understand grassroots problems. There are 66 of us. We raise questions, some of us are members of parliamentary committees, and some women are parliamentary secretaries. It depends on your own abilities and how much you want to contribute.

AA: Why do charismatic, dynamic women like you, Marvi Memon, Shireen Mazari or Tehmina Daultana need reserved seats?

HPB: Why not? It makes no difference.  You need funds to contest for general seats and you have to run a door-to-door campaign. That is easy for men. That is why there is a quota for women. If a woman is capable, why can’t she serve on a reserved seat?

AA: Will you contest on a general seat in the next elections?

HPB: If I am capable and can prove it to the party, and they give me a ticket, why not?

AA: Punjab has serious rape, acid attack and honor killing crisis. What legislative work have you done so far? What have you done for women’s empowerment?

HPB: I did some legislative work on child marriage. I tabled a bill to make it illegal for children under 18 to marry, but it is under discussion. The issue was that from a religious point of view, marriage should be allowed after puberty.

Now we have formed a committee on domestic violence. We want to set up a helpline for these women and begin an awareness campaign, similar to the contraceptive campaign in rural areas. It is very difficult for women to report domestic violence. We are also seeking recognition for women who work in houses. All these issues are part of a new Punjab Women Package, an effort headed by Zakia Shahnawaz. It also deals with inheritance.

A recent youth business loan scheme allocated 50% quota to women. We have internship schemes for women. I run a vocational training center myself.

AA: Do you face problems dealing with the male members of parliament?

HPB: None at all. Wherever I go, I am treated with respect.

AA: No ogling or unnecessary attention?

HPB: Never. This is the general perception people have about what a young parliamentarian would face. But that isn’t actually the case.

AA: Have you ever been asked to cover your head?

HPB: I wear a scarf but don’t cover my head. I have never been asked to. Many other parliamentarians don’t.

AA: Do you enjoy reading? Are there any political books you would recommend our readers?

HPB: I have read many biographies. Nelson Mandela has been an inspiration for me, and not just recently. I have read My Feudal Lord, and books on Benazir Bhutto, Pervez Musharraf, Nawaz Sharif and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to learn from their lives.

In lighter reading, I just started Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I also study business and economics books. I read A Case of Exploding Mangoes.

AA: You started a new life as a single parent. How was that?

HPB: I believe in self-respect. Every marriage requires compromise, but there should be a limit. If someone is not treating you well, then you should treat yourself well. I started working on myself. I started my MBA and right after that I started working on my business three years ago. I launched my own brand. I had a baby during my MBA, so I deferred it for two years. My parents have always been supportive. I think God is the master planner and he has better plans for you. I want to stand up for those women who cannot solve their own problems, who are facing domestic violence, have issues with their husbands, or are living with men who cheat on them. What happens here is that if a woman has children, she cannot do anything. But there is a limit to everything.

AA: Are you satisfied with the family laws?

HPB: Yes. I have custody of my son. Women who are going through problems look up to me for being able to stand up alone.

AA: Do you think your roles as a businesswoman and politician compromise your role as a mother?

HPB: I believe in work delegation. I have a team of people working for me. This is what I learned in MBA. It should not be a one man show. If you are running a business, you should have a team. I have an accountant, a manager, a production manager etc. I just monitor them. Politics is my passion but friends and family are also very important for me. In 2013 my son got admitted to Aitchison. I teach him. He comes here and I teach him in the room in the back. I am a very hands-on mother.

[quote]We cannot have a hands-on battle with the terrorists. That will have consequences[/quote]

AA: There has been a wave of terror attacks on political leaders. Do you fear for your life?

HPB: I follow the news and I see terrorism as a major issue. Our leaders are being killed. But personally I don’t see it as a threat. I think we need to be more careful. It is sad though. There was time when Punjab was secure. We need to realize that we need unity. We are too dependent on the US. We are in a situation where we cannot have a hands-on battle with these terrorists. That will have consequences. Dialogue is the only way.

AA: Do you personally think dialogue with the Taliban is a good idea? We have tried and failed.  

HPB: We can’t go to war. I want peace. We support peace and after such a long time we have started a peace initiative with India. We should also have peace with these groups. That is the only way ahead for the civilization. If we fight, they will become more aggressive.

AA: The PML-N has been in power for more than six months, why has there been no national policy or consensus on fighting terrorism?

HPB: The peace process has already started. These groups are very scattered, and it is not easy to engage them. Our prime minister raised the issue of drone attacks in the UN and with Barack Obama, but their point of view is that they are only killing people who attack them. I think it’s a major issue and it will take time. There is no magic wand.

AA: How far do you think is your terrorism policy influenced by the PTI?

HPB: On a personal level, I don’t like things like blocking NATO supplies. Iran spent so much time in isolation but now they are opening ties with the rest of the world. We are a global society. We cannot isolate Pakistan by making such impulsive decisions.

But we cannot start fighting with ordinary tribal people. That is not the right way to go about it. We should not take extreme measures, and should have a dialogue with the right people.

[quote]Lahore doesn’t even look like a part of Pakistan[/quote]

AA: The PML-N has been accused of cooperating with sectarian and militant groups so that they spare Punjab.

HPB: That is not true. Punjab has good security, and a lot of credit goes to the chief minister. The province’s infrastructure is also very good. Lahore doesn’t even look like a part of Pakistan. A lot of hard work has gone into that. We have a good police force, and we work hard on keeping people safe. These good things must be appreciated.

AA: People say the prime minister’s loan program for the youth might end up in a disaster, like his Yellow Cab scheme. How do plan to recover the money if they refuse to return it?

HPB: When we began the scheme, everyone was criticizing the condition of having a guarantor. But a guarantor is necessary because we have to recover the money. It is public money, at the end of the day.

[quote]I went to various banks in Sargodha as an anonymous observer[/quote]

It was our responsibility as MPAs to keep checks on the program in various constituencies. I went to various banks in Sargodha as an anonymous observer, to see if people were having any problems. The conduct of the banks was good.

AA: How do you plan to help the industries in particular?

HPB: Our biggest achievement has been the EU’s GSP plus status for our textile industry. When your goods are being exported and not taxed, your prices will decrease, and that can revive the industry.

But we have to realize that the industry needs energy. We have to find more gas sources. We have discovered eight new gas sources, I heard recently.

Privatization will also open doors.

AA: Are you selling state corporations to friends and relatives?

HPB: Who else will take them? Who else can afford it? The government cannot run businesses. That is the job of professionals. The government cannot keep pumping money into these corporations. Whoever can buy it should. But we are not favoring anyone. It is open to all.