Writer and director Khalilur Rehman Qamar, who is not new to controversy and is rather infamous for his misogynist views both on and off the screen, has abused journalist and rights activist Marvi Sirmed on live television.
According to the details, Qamar on Tuesday appeared on a talk show to discuss the aftermath of a petition against the forthcoming Aurat March being trashed by the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petition calling the march “un-Islamic” with a ” hidden agenda to spread vulgarity” was wrapped up by the court that said it couldn’t be banned under the law of the land.
“First of all, the court has barred them [women marchers] from using filthy slogans like ‘mera jism, meri marzi’ [my body, my choice],” Qamar can be heard as saying in a video clip of the show doing rounds over the internet, in reference to the court’s order that participants of the march should “refrain from hate speech and immorality”.
Attempting to launch a tirade against the phrase, Qamar can then be heard as criticising Sirmed for using such slogans, to which the journalist reacts with murmuring the same that had led to a war of words over the internet after the slogan went viral following last edition of the annual Aurat March.
While some say the slogan ‘mera jism, meri marzi’ is “vulgar” and is used by women marchers in “an attempt to westernise the Pakistani society”, the marchers themselves say it pertains to “the right of choice and that to safety of women and even minor girls who are subjected to sexual assault in this very society”.
“Don’t interrupt!” the writer tells Sirmed in a rather aggressive tone, to which the rights activist once again chants the same slogan but in a louder voice.
“What is there in your body? Who the hell are you? Go take a look at your body… no man spits on you,” Qamar adds while also abusing Sirmed who continues to repeatedly chant “mera jism, meri marzi“.
WATCH VIDEO:
The third panellist, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Senator Maulana Faiz Muhammad, and the host of the television show can in the meantime be seen requesting Sirmed to stop talking and hear Qamar out.
With netizens losing it over the remarks made by Qamar and also calling out the host of the show for doing nothing to stop him, here’s what the anchor has to say:
Do you think the anchorperson could’ve stopped things from escalating? Let The Current know in the comments.
