The Body of the Woman as a Contested Site

The opening passage of Shehr e Afsos tells us a lot as to how the body of the woman is associated with honor. In the context of the story there is a very strong relationship between violence and sexuality. In times of war and violence, the female body becomes a contested site subject to assault and conquest. It serves as a trophy of victory or a blot on the collective honor. It goes to show that in times like these and especially during Partition, it was not the Hindu or the Muslim women who were raped, it was rather humanity. It does not matter who was the perpetrator or who instigated the violence. This was also manifest in the case of Sakinā in “Khōl dō,” who was apparently raped by her own fellow Muslims who were supposed to be her savior.