Daily Times

In a befitting Dickensian cliche, women in Pakistan are no strangers to ugly discourse and the self-explanatory need to keep their guard up at all times: walking on eggshells and praying to divine providence for one more “safe” day.

The risk of being dragged through the mire increases exponentially if you are a public personality. Those responsible for a supposedly doctored video of Punjab’s information minister Azma Bukhari must have been well aware of its dire implications, especially in a misogynistic society like ours. It is a cowardly and heinous attempt to silence and intimidate women who have dared to enter the male-dominated realm of politics.

If in the past, the boys’ club used the tried-and-tested “Indian agent” card to malign the character of none other than the founding father’s sister, today’s politicians utter unbelievable filth against their colleagues, many a time while sitting on national television.

In case of reprehensible words not doing the trick, objectionable videos make it to the limelight as a cue for the social media trolls to force the victim to take the back seat. Late Benazir Bhutto’s helplessness at being attacked with comments on her dressing choices and a vile helicopter campaign is a dark secret of our political trajectory. Reality dictates that a strong presence of pro-women legislation and changed parliamentary dynamics has had no effect whatsoever on the creation of a safe and non-toxic space for women.

Ms Bukhari has already filed a case against the perpetrators, reminding how many others from her party were made to suffer from the same ordeal and demanding an immediate investigation. There’s a lot that is at stake here. Going far beyond the individual women targeted, leaking objectionable content has a chilling effect on women at large; dissuading them from participating in public life and raising their voices on issues that matter to them.

Notwithstanding her own reservations about the speed and neutrality of justice, these malicious splashes would continue, cherry-picking their targets unless and until they receive an across-the-board rejection from all political parties. Unfortunately, mainstream parties have not yet come up with a line of action to protect their women members. Despite talk of a code of ethics, any such incident is celebrated like a rendezvous by the rivals, only to be brushed under the rug when the radar is found on one of their own. To the misfortune of those who have the courage to step onto the battlefield, you cannot pick and choose civility. *