Arrggghhh!
As if we have not had enough of moral policing from our
Mumanis and Chachis, teachers and professors, co-workers and bosses, Chief Justice of Supreme Court of
Pakistan decided to take action on behalf of a letter written by Former head
honcho of Jamaat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain
Ahmed and Justice (retd) Wajihuddin (seriously Wajihuddin Sahib?) against
obscenity aired on TV channels. Justice Chaudhry believes that TV channels are
spreading vulgarity and called PEMRA officials to the court to admonish them.
According
to the news reports, the Chief Justice cited some offensive programmes and
advertisements and said that one finds it difficult to watch them with family.
However, I am saddened by the fact that he does not cite offensive programmes
that one cannot watch even when one is all alone, let alone with the family and inquisitive
children because they test the limit of sanity. Where was the suo moto when the Engineer Agha Waqar was
going on about his waterkit and federal minister Khursheed Shah was raving about it? Why was it
all not shut down because if you ask me, our national pride was in tatters when that travesty was being passed around as scientific breakthrough? I was so embarrassed to
watch it that I literally hid my face. My nephew asked me if laws of thermodynamics
can really be altered and I was even more ashamed to be a tax paying citizen of
a country where a 12 year old was subjected to witness this litany and had to make sure that it was not true.
I hope one of the obscene programmes that CJ took notice of
is Maya Khan’s Ramazan show where she adresses everyone – men, women, children,
adults, and green little Martians – with terms like mera bacha, pyaroo, golo polo and what
not. Her conversation is peppered with many Hai Allahs and fake tears. Watching
her calling a man like Nooruddin Bhai (he is an activist in his 50s who suffers from muscular dystrophy and has been working for rights of people with disability) pyaroo tested every fibre
of intelligence, rationality and prudence in my body, but that is not
considered vulgar because her conversation is interspersed with multiple references to Allah and Rasool
and she wears a duppata on her head!
While CJ had PEMRA’s chairman in his court for this matter
of obscenity, the CJ thought that he should also ask the PEMRA chairman (CJ had issues with him being just an acting chairman for over a year) about the programming on private TV channels who air programs about higher judiciary and ordered him to bring on all press
conferences and programmes against judiciary before the next hearing. However he had no issues with programs that mock politicians of the country and call them all sorts of names because they are ‘popular’ and ‘in good
humour’ which basically meant that TV channels are free to get as obnoxious and
obscene with the politicians in name of popularity and good humour, but the judiciary
stays untouchable. He rounded up his sermon observations by calling up
on the TV channels to leave religion out of it. Looks like moral policing in
this country found a new judge and champion against the heretics who enjoy the
very very obscene display of something like a Bilal Khan video or women’s tennis.
If my twitter feed
is to be believed, Justice Chaudhry told the PEMRA chairman that August
personalities like Aurya Maqbool (a babu) and Ansar Abbasi (Journalist and
former Jamat-e-Islami worker) will point out the incidents of fuhashi (obscenity) and PEMRA will shut it down. So basically, if CJ has his way - and he usually
does have his way - dudes who have no business butting in broadcasting and have
no experience in national broadcasting policies formulation will decided the content that
will be allowed to go on air. At times I wonder if I live in a country that is a
replica of Ayn Rand’s Foundtainhead and Mufti-e-Azam Iftekhar Muhammed Chaudhry
is the Ellsworth Toohey of our times. Our tragedy is that we don’t have anyone
to challenge the Ellsworth Tooheys of Pakistan.
PS: Not the most coherent post but I was kinda livid when I read about it.
10 comments:
One of the books every Pakistani should read:
"Censoring an Iranian Love Story" by Shahriar Mandanipour.
It starts feeling less and less 'Iranian' every day.
No worries. Science and technology will annihilate mullahs. Once upon a time, TV itself was considered to be fuhash device, but now jaahil ulema are dying to get as much airtime as possible. Once loud speakers were against Islam, now they are used to propagate Islam. In the same way, definition of obscenity will change over time. Anyone who puts up resistance will be crushed by technological advancement.
Now that's a real lame piece Tazeen... I think you're afraid that the next step would be the implementation of Islamic values in the country, which definitely is going to affect some of our LIBERAL lifestylers....
c'mon lady... it indeed is a good step, if some sensible rules are drafted for media monitoring. Period.
Plz tell me if you can watch Always Ulta ads while sitting with your father or brother or some other family man.... thanks
Obscenity and stupidity are two different things. The examples you cited here are of stupidity not obscenity.
Arrrrrghhh
that was the best begining of this post. Why a judge decides to take up matters far from his domain. funny. And in you I have found at least one that like me does not believe in that Jahil 'engineer' to run engines from water. How insane and incredible one could be and our peole fall over themselves to believe him Oh oh arrrgghh
Arrrrrghhh
that was the best begining of this post. Why a judge decides to take up matters far from his domain. funny. And in you I have found at least one that like me does not believe in that Jahil 'engineer' to run engines from water. How insane and incredible one could be and our peole fall over themselves to believe him Oh oh arrrgghh
shakil akhtar says
Arrrrrghhh
that was the best begining of this post. Why a judge decides to take up matters far from his domain. funny. And in you I have found at least one that like me does not believe in that Jahil 'engineer' to run engines from water. How insane and incredible one could be and our peole fall over themselves to believe him Oh oh arrrgghh
plz see his priya maqbool defination of huriyani n fehashi in his new column
http://oryamaqbooljan.com/columns/kiya-uryani-satar-ho-sakti-hai-orya-maqbool-jan
It were the civil society types who brought this menace called CJ chaudhary onto us and now they are all bemoaning him in chorus.
You know whats really funny is you can get away with anything in Pakistan, like your post included. Even the societies and their values we so shamefully try to ape have better standards eg for terrestrial channels you would be surprised to find what is kosher in Pakistan is banned in the US. Suggestive themes or or programming content not considered appropriate in a particular community will not be available over the air but on cable only. Similarly, for signboard advertising, all over the world a stricter standard is enforced because it is "in your face" and one (including your six year old) does not have an option not to look at it as opposed to other media eg like cable TV or magazines.
So yes, we are all for some type of regulation of what is being shown on TV even on cable. The regulation should take into account cultural sensitivities and what is considered inappropriate in our communities.
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