CSS Gender Studies Case Studies Syllabus

Case Studies syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Case Studies in CSS Gender Studies, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Landmark Pakistani Cases

   3 topics

   • Mukhtaran Mai
   • Malala Yousafzai
   • Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Case Studies flashcards for CSS Gender Studies

21 of 49 cards from the Case Studies deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Who is Mukhtaran Mai (Mukhtar Mai), and why is she a landmark case study in Pakistani gender studies?

   A woman from Meerwala, Muzaffargarh district, Punjab, who in 2002 was gang-raped on the orders of a village panchayat (tribal jirga) as 'honour revenge'. Instead of staying silent, she pursued legal action, becoming a global symbol of resistance to violence against women and tribal justice.

2. In what year did the assault on Mukhtaran Mai take place?

   June 2002.

3. What body ordered the gang-rape of Mukhtaran Mai?

   A local panchayat / tribal council (jirga) of the Mastoi clan.

4. What was the stated pretext for the panchayat ordering Mukhtaran Mai's assault?

   Alleged 'honour' restitution: her younger brother (Abdul Shakoor, around 12) was accused of having illicit relations with a Mastoi woman (an allegation widely seen as a cover for the boy being sodomized by Mastoi men). The rape of Mukhtaran was decreed as compensation/revenge against her Gujjar (Tatla) family.

5. Which two clans/castes were involved in the Mukhtaran Mai case, and what was their relative status?

   Mukhtaran's family belonged to the lower-status Gujjar (Tatla) caste; the perpetrators belonged to the higher-status, more powerful Mastoi clan.

6. What unusual decision did Mukhtaran Mai make after the assault that defied custom?

   Rather than committing suicide (the customary expectation for a 'dishonoured' woman), she chose to publicly speak out and file a criminal complaint (FIR) against her attackers.

7. How did Mukhtaran Mai use the compensation money she received after the case gained attention?

   She used it to establish schools in her village (the Mukhtar Mai Girls' School and a boys' school) and later a welfare organization, promoting female education as a tool against such crimes.

8. What organization did Mukhtaran Mai found?

   The Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organisation (MMWWO), which runs schools, a women's shelter (crisis centre) and a free ambulance/aid service in Meerwala.

9. What was the initial 2002 trial court verdict in the Mukhtaran Mai case?

   An Anti-Terrorism Court convicted six men and sentenced them to death in 2002.

10. What happened to the convictions on appeal in the Mukhtaran Mai case (Lahore High Court, 2005)?

    The Lahore High Court acquitted five of the six convicted men and commuted the sixth's sentence, citing insufficient evidence — sparking national and international outrage.

11. What was the final outcome of the Mukhtaran Mai case in Pakistan's Supreme Court (2011)?

    In April 2011 the Supreme Court upheld the acquittals, convicting only one man (Abdul Khaliq) and freeing the others — a verdict criticized as a failure of justice for rape survivors.

12. Name the memoir associated with Mukhtaran Mai.

    'In the Name of Honour: A Memoir' (2006), written with French journalist Marie-Thérèse Cuny.

13. What international recognition did Mukhtaran Mai receive in 2005?

    Glamour magazine named her 'Woman of the Year' (2005); she was also honoured by various human-rights bodies for her courage.

14. What is a 'jirga' or 'panchayat', as illustrated by the Mukhtaran Mai case?

    An informal, traditional village council of elders that adjudicates disputes outside the formal legal system. The case exposed how such bodies can sanction crimes against women and operate as parallel, unaccountable justice.

15. What broader social issues does the Mukhtaran Mai case primarily highlight?

    Honour-based violence, the use of rape as a tool of caste/clan power and revenge, the failures of tribal justice (jirga/panchayat), weak protection for rape survivors, and the link between female education and empowerment.

16. How did the Pakistani government under Pervez Musharraf respond to Mukhtaran Mai's international travel in 2005?

    The government placed her on the Exit Control List (ECL) and temporarily barred her from travelling abroad, fearing she would tarnish Pakistan's image — drawing further international criticism before the ban was lifted.

17. Who is Malala Yousafzai, and what is she globally known for?

    A Pakistani education activist from Swat Valley who campaigned for girls' right to education under Taliban rule, survived a 2012 assassination attempt, and became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

18. Where and when was Malala Yousafzai born?

    In Mingora, Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on 12 July 1997.

19. Under what pseudonym did Malala write a blog for BBC Urdu, and about what?

    Under the pen name 'Gul Makai', she blogged for BBC Urdu (starting January 2009) about life and the fight for girls' education under the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) occupation of Swat.

20. What group controlled Swat Valley and banned girls' education during Malala's early activism?

    The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP / Pakistani Taliban), which had banned girls from attending school in the Swat region.

21. When was Malala Yousafzai shot, and in what circumstances?

    On 9 October 2012, a TTP gunman boarded her school bus in Swat and shot her in the head; two other girls were also wounded.

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