This is going to be one of *those* threads. The one that gets on your nerves. Even if you're a good person and agree with me because why can't I just appreciate something for once. So skip this if you have to. This is me warning you.

There were 2100 cases of rape in 7 months.

3500 last year.

And allegations of a *much* higher number 49 years ago that most of us refuse to acknowledge.

There was even a Dr. Shazia who was put under house arrest after her own rape, unable to access doctors or lawyers while the state tampered with evidence.

When her people rose in rebellion, the state sent in military and killed a prominent tribal chief. We both sided the event. Rationalizing that Bugti wasn't a good person either.

In 2018 when PTM came forward with allegations of rape of women, the same Hamid Mir who is hosting

One discussion on rape after another today stood with Asif Ghafoor to dismiss the allegations without even a proper inquiry. Most of us convinced ourselves that those women were lying and donning an officer's uniform is enough to elevate someone from the impulse to rape.

Then when the same Mohsin Dawar, who is a paraiah right now for laughing at a maulvi's ridiculous comment, came out and complained that security forces break into Pashtun homes at night, kidnap the men and harrass the women, he was called a fraud. At best, we turned a blind eye

And said we can't comment on it because we didn't know enough. Ignorance was easier.

There were 2100 rape cases in 7 months, all of them heinous in their own way, but this one lit a spark.

Suddenly parents were worried before sending their daughters out. All of us are talking

To each other about our past traumas, our current fears, what we do to save ourselves when cornered. Even men. Even men have taken out some time out of their lives to try to be empathetic. Celebrities are out (exclusively) protesting.

Because we know.

We know what sitting in a car feels like. What running out of fuel feels like. We know what being on the ring road feels like. If not, it isn't that difficult to imagine. We have travelled by the motorway.

The monster, this time, was at *our* door.

Believing the survivor was lying was dangerous. Ignorance wasn't convenient any longer.

Rape culture isn't a boogeyman out there. All of us are complicit in it. Which is why it is important to recognize that within gender, there is class, ethnicity, geography, sects, castes.

Brutalization of bodies is a control tactic to make sure the oppressed conforms. Men rape women to "show them their place". Similarly, the police (allegedly) harasses members of trans communities. The armed forces (allegedly) brutalize women belonging to revolting groups.

The mullah (allegedly) rapes children. The feudal lord and his progeny (allegedly) make life difficult for peasant women and kids. The boss (allegedly) harasses his employee.

And on most occassions, we say out a word of condemnation because we aren't trans, our kids don't go to

Madrassahs, we don't work the fields. And move along, conveniently ignorant.

Sometimes we actively convince ourselves of the oppressor's lies. We need a peaceful state, irrespective of whose peace was stolen to acquire it as long as it wasn't us. We really need that job too.

We become party to the same oppression that on our bodies feel an unimaginable horror.

If this is a moment of reckoning, let it be one for everybody. Even the person staring back at you in the mirror.

Because the thing is, no one progresses as long as the most vulnerable amongst us don't.

If the oppressor knows that the tools of oppression are available to him, he knows he can use it on you too.