I won’t let anybody tarnish Pakistan’s image

MULTAN: Mukhtar Mai who captured international attention for her bravery after suffering a gang rape three years ago said on Saturday she wouldn’t allow anyone to use her name to tarnish the image of her country.

Mai’s comments came a day after President General Pervez Musharraf told reporters in New Zealand that he ordered a recent travel ban on her because foreign private groups wanted to take her to America “to bad-mouth Pakistan” over the “terrible state” of the nation’s women.

“Pakistan is my country, and how can I allow anyone to bring (a) bad name to Pakistan,” Mai, 36, told The Associated Press from Meerwala. On Saturday Mai said she had no plans to settle abroad. “I will live and die here, and I assure the president that I would never do anything against Pakistan,” she said.

Mai added, however, that she would continue to demand punishment for her attackers. She has expressed worries about the safety of her family since June 10, when a court in Lahore ordered the release of a dozen men detained in connection with her rape.

The case took a new turn last week when Mai said authorities ordered her not to leave Pakistan. Although the government later lifted the ban, she said she has deferred a trip to the United States because of her mother’s illness. ap

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