In this sizzling political scene, the whole nation is in awe over the latest development where a female parliamentarian dared to accuse a very powerful politician for soliciting her of immoral behavior. Obviously she is making headlines in the national electronic and print media. Some are curious to know her story others are not so curious, probably they already concede to it as an ‘accepted’ norm in the power circles. The most bizarre spectacle is enacted on majority of the electronic media channels that are known for their sympathetic behavior to the cause of that big leader. Instead of this, anyone among them goes ahead and get the account from the accused to get his version of the story, they are grilling that woman non-stop day and night, in her presence and in her absence.
The line of questioning to that female parliamentarian is interesting and pathetic; here is the sample: So if you knew for last four years of this immoral conduct, why you are talking it now? Do you have a proof of what you are alleging this great leader of? Did you ask some favors from the great leader, which he refused to your anguish? How much money you are offered from the great leader’s rivals for these theatrics? You speak of female honor, do you know what kind of dressing your sporty sister does while playing squash? Do you have no remorse how much respect that great leader has bestowed on you and now you are accusing him? And much more. And some have provided the accurate and obscene amount of money she has been paid too. And for now let us ignore the kind of material that is getting circulated in the social media about this female parliamentarian.
A country where DNA testing for rape victim is abhorred by the clerics in their sermons and through their collective body Council of Islamic Ideology essentially serves no other purpose but to encourage the rapists. And nothing surprising, in a male-dominated society these measures are considered very reasonable. In this perspective, it was a very imprudent move on the part of that female parliamentarian to allege somebody ‘just’ for alluding to in that direction. How naive! Her best course of action should have been to stay quiet and council others female colleagues the same. What other choice she got? God forbid, if something ‘worse’ would have happened to her, she should have kept mum in that case too, or she would be needing four witnesses to prove that!
Women need to stay quiet. That is the rule of the game. They are property of men - a commodity. Even for a married woman, if she goes ahead and files for divorce to come out of an abusive relationship, she needs to have ‘solid’ reasons to get out of that relationship. And when she does that, she would be questioned ‘Why you didn’t apply for the divorce, the day one? Why you waited so long before filing in? Now you know that your husband was abusive? If you claim so that he was disdainful for so long, what is your proof? And mind it, there are only a few lucky ones, whose husbands even ‘grant’ them the right to file for divorce in the first place. It is customary to strike out the entire page on Nikah Nama that spells out these rights. Obviously that wasn’t the case with this female parliamentarian but line of questioning to her, resonates alike.
Because this case is being trialed so far in the media only where some of our journalists are very popular with their investigating reporting. In the very recent past we have seen their mojo in action during the trial of the former first family of Pakistan. Whereby nation was apprised of the corruption scandals every evening with new documentary evidence, solely obtained through their own sources with a water mark of ‘EXCLUSIVE’. So why that investigating zeal is now at rest or moving at snail’s pace? Instead of grilling the accuser, why nobody has so far investigated to obtain the ‘exclusive’ trail of the messaging obtained through the cellular device which she has been mentioning repeatedly. Seems that is not the intent, that doesn’t brought rating rather putting her on the spot light works the best.
It is true that nobody so far knows the truth of her accusations. And in this special political environment everything and everybody is getting sacrificed at the altars of ego and power-game. But this trend of bullying the weak through social or mainstream media tirade with the intent to make her a horrible example, points to very disturbing forthcoming scenarios. Corruption has many facets and we shouldn’t be contained to talk only on the selective scenarios, while ignore the rest. By just rubbishing the accuser or spending our energies to prove her a compulsive liar wouldn’t help anybody. Truth should be sought at all cost.
When we try to suppress an opinion, through our numerical strength or our prowess in social media, that doesn’t sound sweet to our ears, leads to only one conclusion; fascism. Nazi Germany, Mussolini's Italy are the apt proof of where fascism leads to and how sickening and heinous crimes against humanity were committed under the propaganda hail-storm. Nobody could tell apart the truth from the lies. We need to remember that politics is carried on to get power so we shouldn’t try to paint somebody as an angel while other, the demon.
If that female parliamentarian lies, she should be brought to justice but if there is an iota of truth in her allegations that should also be taken up accordingly. In the power circles which obviously this female parliamentarian is part of, nobody commits such folly to jump out of a plane that is taking off. If as she is being alleged of taking money to do the character assassination of the popular leader, we need to remember, money and power are intertwined. And power can generate money but its converse may not be always necessarily true. Just spewing filth on the face of that female MNA, only because she is a female and belongs to a conservative background and thus hoping that she might be dealt with like Qandeel Baloch would be too cruel. This matter needs through investigation and justice must prevail. The people sitting at the citadel of power and justice must take this case up.