As a female driver in Pakistan you’ve had more than your usual share of “stories” to tell, women are considered reckless drivers in general. However, in Pakistan, in addition to being called ‘la-parwa’, you have to tolerate everybody’s stares as well because, well, you are an alien of course.
In order to show solidarity with our pretty Pakistani female drivers, we have created a list of the struggles that almost every Pakistani woman driver has to go through:
1. Getting to hear “it’s not safe out there” a dozen times a day.
2. Having to tolerate uncles trying to overtake your car from the wrong side while shouting “dekh kar hhatoon, marwao gee kya?”
I actually witnessed it with my own eyes. An elderly uncle, trying to take over from the wrong side, shouted this at a girl.
3. And if, God forbid, you take a wrong turn, all men on the road or in the cars stare at you as if you have committed a murder.
4. The car mechanics always trying to point towards the perfectly working parts of your car and emphasizing that you get them fixed, from them and from them only.
“Baji, aj ap ki car phir punctured hai.”
Bhai kal tou theek karwai thi, ap kay hee khene par. Sigh!
5. Getting to hear “ye hee gaari agar mere pas hoti, isko itne pyar se rakhta” all the time. Well, figuratively.
Yes, that’s how most of our brothers/male friends talk when it comes to our cars/driving.
6. Having to put up with blinds or shades in your car or being a target of chichora cat callers.
“Shehzadi, shades laga kar kahan ja rai ho? Shakal tou dikhao.”
7. Having the urge to tell all the critics that you love your car more than anything else and you would never want to do anything to damage it.
Ugh!
8. Having to wear gloves every time you drive during the summers is a struggle in itself.
“We do not want to spoil our freshly-manicured hands, you know.”
9. Having to hear new fatwas every other day as to how driving can damage your ovaries or can get you raped.
10. If, by chance, the men of your house approve the way you drive, the benchmark will still be a male diver (any male driver for that matter).
“Omg! She drives as good as any male driver.”
11. And oh, how can we forget the famous “isi liye kehte hain shadi karlo, shohar le jaya kare ga aram se.”
Mom, please don’t. Please, just don’t.
Have faith in yourselves, girls. More power to you. Oh, and drive safe.
Cover Image Via: Dawn.com
