Rishta Aunty has hit urban Pakistan. She comes in her own taxi and shares the ride with those who consent to her presence. And just to show that she is an equal opportunity offender — she is ready to matchmake for girls and boys alike. It’s all a bit of fun. A marketing gimmick for an app-driven taxi firm that has certainly proved catchy. Indeed, its trending on social media has paid for itself with other companies mocking poor old Rishta Aunty to sell their own goods. And yet. And yet ‘fun’ doesn’t quite cut it. A corporate firm has chosen to make light of the pressure that young women the world over — but especially here in South Asia — face. We can’t bring ourselves to call this fun. For while Rishta Aunty’s services are also provided to young men — let us make no mistake, this is a marketing campaign directly aimed at women. Because what women do and don’t do, what they want out of life or whom they want is always everyone else’s business. This app comes hot on the heels of the image of the PIA hostess that went viral on social media. She was mocked relentlessly for her less than perfect pose. Never mind that she had been unaware that the picture was being taken. Meaning that she didn’t consent to being clicked. Similarly, a few years ago Angela Merkel hadn’t agreed to be papped when off-duty on a beach somewhere in Europe. The British tabloids in particular had a field day over what she looked like in a bathing costume. Predictably, there was no such similarly harsh treatment at the sight of would-be pig farmer David Cameron in his trunks at around the same time. After all, where would be the fun in that? At the risk of being a killjoy, we have to ask: where is Rishta Uncle? We ask this because it is never just women who are part and parcel of the arranged marriage industry. What about the fathers who insist on choosing with whom their daughters get to share the marital bed? Are they mocked? No, far from it. For them, there are a hundred and one Internet memes paying tribute to these men who deign to treat their daughters as if they were as precious as the latest smartphone in need of a cover to keep it safe. So please don’t mind if we say, Rishta Aunty: thanks but no thanks. We’d rather try our luck in women-only rickshaws. Even if we don’t believe in being pretty in pink. * Published in Daily Times, July 23rd 2017.