Veteran Pakistan TV actor Jahan Ara Hai has drawn criticism for casually mentioning tiger hunting in an interview aired on a local news channel. The TV programme ‘Hamare Mehman,’ upset viewers who said that Ara’s interviewer glorified hunting. Tigers are an engandered species, according to WWF, with less than 4000 tigers remaining in the world. The ‘Lala Begum’ actor shares that she would often join her husband when he hunted and it never scared her “because she had a gun”. In her interview, she showed off the head of a tiger that her husband hunted and several photos of his exploits. She also told of a time when she joined her husband during a leopard hunt. She said she drove the jeep while her husband tracked the animal and fired several shots. They sped home when they realised that the possibly injured animal could retaliate with an attack. The actor said they returned with assistance the following morning to find the animal and it was discovered by the locals “while it was still warm”. She shared “they picked it up, took photos, and gave its meat to the locals for their children.”
Published in Daily Times, July 31st 2018.