The screening of Sharmeen’s documentary was the prime minister’s only mistake
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: It appears that Nawaz Sharif learns his lessons fast; now, he must be looking for those advisers who arranged the premiere of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary against honour killing, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, at the prime minister house in February. When Mufti Naeem openly abused the filmmaker on electronic media and criticised the prime minister for honouring Sharmeen, things started taking the natural route.
Though the Senate has already passed the anti-rape and anti-honour killing bills, these have repeatedly failed to get an approval by the National Assembly. A lot of expectations were attached with parliament’s joint session this April to get these bills passed with the help of the Senate. But apparently religious parties’ threat to launch a PNA-style movement against the government has put the prime minster on the back foot and the two bills were deferred for further discussions with religious parties — meaning that the chapter is closed.
Perhaps, the screening of Sharmeen’s documentary was the prime minister’s only mistake; his government seems to have vowed to shoot down anything not favoured by the religious parties. The prime minister and his allies need to realise that the world has moved forward; by banning realities from being screened, whether it’s Maalik or another depiction of reality, everyone knows who is the puppeteer playing with 200 million-odd puppets.
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2016.
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