Introduction
Chapter 1. Contours of an Islamic Pakistan
Chapter 2. Global Politics and Zia's Islamization
Chapter 3. The Women's Movement: The First Phase
Chapter 4. Grappling with the Damage Done
Chapter 5. Activism Changes Form
Chapter 6. Maulanas at the Helm
Chapter 7. Swat and the Taliban Ascendancy
Chapter 8. Sexual Violence and the New Activists
Chapter 9. Women in Politics and the Promise of Democracy
Chapter 10. The Long View
Bibliography
WAF Interviews

The military rule of General Zia ul-Haq, former President of Pakistan, had significant political repercussions for the country. Islamization policies were far more pronounced and control over women became the key marker of the state's adherence to religious norms. Women's rights activists mobilized as a result, campaigning to reverse oppressive policies and redefine the relationship between state, society and Islam. Their calls for a liberal democracy led them to be targeted and suppressed.
This book is a history of the modern women's movement in Pakistan. The research is based on documents from the Women's Action Forum archives, court judgments on relevant cases, as well as interviews with activists, lawyers and judges and analysis of newspapers and magazines. Ayesha Khan argues that the demand for a secular state and resistance to Islamization should not be misunderstood as Pakistani women sympathizing with a western agenda. Rather, their work is a crucial contribution to the evolution of the Pakistani state. The book outlines the discriminatory laws and policies that triggered domestic and international outcry, landmark cases of sexual violence that rallied women activists together and the important breakthroughs that enhanced women's rights. At a time when the women's movement in Pakistan is in danger of shrinking, this book highlights its historic significance and its continued relevance today.