UNRISD UNITED NATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Gender, Religion and the Quest for Justice in Pakistan

(UNRISD) is an autonomous agency engaging in multidisciplinary research on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Its work is guided by the conviction that, for effective development policies to be formulated, an understanding of the social and political context is crucial. The Institute attempts to provide governments, development agencies, grassroots organizations and scholars with a better understanding of how development policies and processes of economic, social and environmental change affect different social groups. Working through an extensive network of national research centres, UNRISD aims to promote original research and strengthen research capacity in developing countries. The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a Green Think Tank that is part of an International Policy Network promoting ecology, democracy, and human rights worldwide. It is part of the Green political movement that has developed worldwide as a response to the traditional politics of socialism , liberalism, and conservatism. Its main tenets are ecology and sustainability, democracy and human rights, self-determination and justice. It promotes gender democracy, meaning social emancipation and equal rights for women and men, equal rights for cultural and ethnic minorities , societal and political participation of immigrants, non-violence and proactive peace policies. To achieve its goals, it seeks strategic partnerships with others who share its values. It is an independent organisation, based in the Federal Republic of Germany, yet it is an international actor in both ideal and practical terms. Its namesake, the writer and Nobel Prize laureate Heinrich Böll, personifies the values the foundation stands for: defence of freedom, civic courage , tolerance, open debate, and the valuation of art and culture as independent spheres of thought and action. This is not a formal publication. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed studies rests solely with their author(s), and availability on this website does not constitute an endorsement by UNRISD or the Heinrich Böll Foundation of the opinions expressed in them. No publication or distribution of these papers is permitted without the prior authorization of the author(s), except for personal use.