By: Asem Mustafa Awan
Justice should prevail and all involved in ‘Eve Teasing’ should be handed exemplary punishment and this should not stop here, heinous crimes like rape, sexual assault, and blackmailing should be dealt with an iron hand on an immediate basis so that the victim who suffered should believe in the system.
President Arif Alvi besides many ministers is on record having said that justice delayed is justice denied and many cases are still awaiting as perpetrators have been granted bail and they thrive and shine under the sun.
The root cause of this has also been identified as the content on-air by different channels is condemnable as what is shown is often stated by the viewers as the environment of the producers and directors as the thought that is there depicts the mindset and the message they are trying to convey to the viewers.
The prime time and even religious transmissions during Ramadan and various national events leave a lot to be desired from the channel owners who for generating the revenue put aside principles of decency.
It is no secret that many youth when caught after criminal activities admitted it was but the films only who encouraged them to act like this. Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority exists and it fines individuals for the content but it fails to act when it comes to the owners who make the maximum out of it.
It is the social responsibility that should be addressed at a national level and Prime Minister Imran Khan who is strong believer of honesty and integrity has spoken many times in the past having reservations on media content.
It is time PEMRA should sit together with academician, scholars and people of the trade to formulate strict guidelines for advertisement which is the lifeline for the media.
The past guidelines if at all existed should have resulted in the scenes which have been witnessed since Independence Day.
The code of conduct duly approved and signed by the media owners needs to be revisited and this time it should have parameters which should be result oriented.
A brief example of the world outside Pakistan has penalties that can make or break the media outlets.
Pakistan sadly has nothing of the sort and a refresher for the esteemed reader who follows the news and is still watching the news awaits judgment of Model Town murders, Sahiwal murders, Shahzeb murder, Usama Satti murder, and the list goes on.
How long will it take is a question which has an answer that everybody knows but awaits in writing.
Independence Day 2021 has made ripples and Pakistan as a whole was targeted by the global media for an event that sparked a debate that whiplashed the nation as a whole.
The event is mystified but soon all is likely to get clear. The truth though harsh stands exposed and all should shoulder the blame. Every segment of society in the past few days should question itself as to how such a fall occurred in terms of moral degradation.
The writer is Special Correspondent at The Dayspring
