KARACHI:
Instead of mere condemnations, it is time to deal sternly with this repetitive impulsive disorder of immoral men harassing women in public places. The latest being at Islamabad’s Shakarparian where two foreign women accompanied by a male were molested. In 2021, a similar incident of harassment was reported at Lahore’s Minar-a-Pakistan. There is a sickening tolerance for such immoral behaviour against women in this country. Had the federal and provincial governments at the helm in 2021 acted according to the law, a similar incident would not have occurred.
The former Prime Minister went as far as blaming the victims for dressing provocatively. He went ahead to say that “men are not robots”, which further reinforced his victim-shaming stance. In Pakistan, political figures have regularly resorted to framing victims of sexual harassment and assault as the real culprits. During an interview, a former President remarked that Pakistani women make claims of sexual assault to seek foreign immigration.
When the political leaders of the country normalise misogyny and sexist violence, sexual harassment and assault cannot be prevented. Globally, in many countries, including the UK, political leaders have either been removed from office or resigned for passing misogynist, sexist, or immoral comments. However, we cannot expect the same of our leaders who head an Islamic Republic. The decadence of Jinnah’s Pakistan started way back in the 60s and it is now threatening society.
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2022.
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