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The incident of a doctor that sent a Facebook friend request to Academy winning journalist and activist Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s sister has stirred a controversy and debate over social media. After watching and listening to views of different people, I, too, decided to pen down my views pertaining to the issue. Without going into too many intricate details, harassment, while blatant or subtle, ought to be condemned on all the platforms and forums.
Pakistan is a developing country.Whether you take its economy, whether you take its educational system or whether you take the social condition of its people, Pakistan lags far behind than many countries of this contemporary world. Coming towards the plight of women in Pakistan, if we compare the situation of women in Pakistan with countries like USA, UK, France, Russia, etc., and take it relative to them, the scenario seems rather bleak. Various governments have passed significant bills and have amended the constitutions several times to address the issues related to women that are prevalent in our society, but, unfortunately, the situation seems far from “better”.
From honor killing to acid attacks and to be vulnerable to cruel customs like “vaani” and “swarah”, the plight of women is getting worse day by day. Coming towards the present day, the issue which seems to be the most formidable quagmire of women is a “Facebook request.”A doctor from a renowned hospital in Karachi sent a friend request to Academy Award winner journalist Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’ sister. Her tweet in which she attributed this particular incident to “women harassment” has stirred a controversy and debate on social media.
Some people have been backing the doctor whilst others think otherwise. After relating Sharmeen’s tweet and the doctor’s friend request to her sister with the overall situation and grievances of women in Pakistan, the tweet and, most particularly, the action on Sharmeen’s side seems rather absurd. I think that to raise a voice for women and that too against an “FB request” on medium like twitter has nothing to do with the women’s plight, albeit it’s just a “second” attempt for gaining cheap publicity on the expense of national pride, the first attempt being the making of documentary on honor killing.
She might have won an Oscar for this particular work of her but that, according to me, was on the expense “national honor”. Some people may argue that Sharmeen did a service to the country by raising the voice for women of Pakistan on international forums, but I think otherwise. If Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy thinks herself to be a patriotic feminist and wants to improve and alleviate the plight of women in Pakistan, then what’s the point to portray the “bad “image” of Pakistan on forums that neither have any legal capacity nor any legitimate powers over our country or populace. Had she made a documentary on drone attacks, poverty or hunger in Pakistan, would she still have won the Academy award? The simple answer is “no”.
Women in Pakistan got more serious issues other than “Facebook requests” that need to be addressed on national platforms with staunch advocacy, rather than on baseless international forums and useless mediums. Tweets and documentaries that have motives related to “cheap publicity” at the expense of national pride neither serve women interests nor the country’s interests.
National problems ought to be solved on credible national forums. Faking petty issues like Facebook friend requests as harassment and relating it to the plight of women is mere hogwash and is hurting the cause by sidelining genuine issues of women from the limelight.We ought to get rational in our views and actions and think holistically.
