09/03/2013

The ire of an English daily

A report in the Indian Express (26 February) says that some Pakistani TV anchors have taken the responsibility of moral policing nowadays and are attacking the “freedom” of people. By raiding beauty and massage parlours, they are trying to prove them as brothels. Young couples at parks and other public places are harassed. They are asked whether they are married and whether their parents are aware of their affairs. The newspaper says that TV channels are competing in this work in a bid to surpass one another to gain popularity. The Indian Express is also annoyed at that one anchor Kamran Shahid recently said that one aspect of sexual waywardness is co-education; therefore co-education system should be abolished. According to the newspaper, the people and human rights groups are concerned over this situation. These groups say that TV groups are doing so under the influence of the religious teachings of the “right wing”.

Context of the situation
The context of the situation is that with the strengthening of American influence in Pakistan the shameless culture of the west is spreading rapidly over there. Its foundation was laid during the regime of Perwez Musharraf. Earlier this culture was found in prosperous families and westernised citizens and that too stealthily. But the Musharraf administration allowed it to go public. Therefore shameful acts started taking place at co-ed institutions, parks and other public places. Foreigners were allowed to open brothels in the name of beauty and massage parlours. This was increasing day after day due to American influence. As the rule of American slaves continued even after the exit of Musharraf, there was no question of making any effort to contain it at the government level. Therefore religious circles started taking notice of it. Voices against it started finding place in print media as well and some responsible TV channels have come to the fore.

What Indian media wants
But the Indian media takes it something wrong. It wants that as in India, shamelessness, obscenity and sexual waywardness go public in Pakistan as well; the channels there should be free to promote it as the channels are doing here; a net of brothels should spread under the pretext of running beauty parlours and massage centres there, as they are spreading here. Thanks to the Indian media, the government of Pakistan also wants the same. But unfortunately the people there do not want it; they are not ready to accept this cultural slavery of the west. It is the double-speaking of Indian media that it cries along with gentle citizens when girls and young women are sexually assaulted; but when the causes of those assaults are searched, it does not come along, rather opposes it calling it an attack on the freedom of women. The media of Pakistan does not do so. The media of both the countries should have worked together against this evil but perhaps India media’s love for corporate nature and globalisation does not allow it (to do so).

07/03/13 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf


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