The Hindu : New Delhi News : Fighting the AIDS menace in Pakistan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Fighting the AIDS menace in Pakistan

By Bindu Shajan Perappadan

The chief of the Pakistan AIDS Control Programme, Asma Bokhari, in the Capital on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI, MAY 19. It was a rather interesting gathering that sat down to discuss the women and AIDS awareness programme in the South Asia region.

And sitting rather smug among them was a participant from Pakistan who had more than a story to tell about the many dynamic policies that the Pakistani Government had framed to combat AIDS and its spread in the country.

Claiming that any action in Pakistan with respect to spreading awareness about the dreaded disease is like an added bonus, the National Programme Manager, National AIDS Control Programme, Pakistan, Asma Bokhari, who is here to participate in South Asia Regional Consultation on Gender and HIV/AIDS, said her main concern throughout has been to ensure that women who bear the stigma of the virus are given proper help and treated with dignity.

Ms. Bokhari, who has been working in the field of AIDS advocacy for the past 11 years, claimed to have seen the spread of the virus among otherwise untouched communities and also the impact of the many projects that have been undertaken by various countries. "We have had our high points in the fight against the virus. While the AIDS project remains one of the top priority projects in the country, our major achievement has been the announcement of the Pakistani Government allowing publicity of condoms in the country," explained Bokhari, who left her training as a surgeon mid-way to get into a public health management course, paving the way for her to work in the AIDS awareness campaign in Pakistan.

"The directive about the use of condom came as a major boost for the people involved in the fight against AIDS. While the decision came only last year, we are currently engaged in talks with the various religious heads in the country to help us propagate the message of condom use. They have agreed to include education about the same in their Friday sermons and we hope the message reaches every person in the country. This is major step towards propagating good practices and while we are aware that we have a long way to go, this is a huge step forward," said Bokhari, who is now hoping that the government would pay attention to the plight of women in the country who have contracted this ailment and are forced to lead a life of shame.

"Women with AIDS are often discriminated against and are forced to give up property and any chance of a decent life after the diagnosis. Most of them don't even have enough information about how to get help or where to look for treatment. The story is the same across the South Asian region where women are given almost a step-motherly treatment when it come to access to information about how to protect themselves against this virus," pointed out Ms. Bokhari. "We are hoping to work together to come up with a good working policy for the women of the region and we all know that there is an urgent need to improve the policies that are already in place."

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