Where did we go wrong?
The need of the hour is to redefine our moralities and kerb only the necessary evil without interfering in others’ lives
The final remnants of rust-eaten buildings that have survived eras of both bliss and tyranny narrate the tales of the district’s abandoners. Deep in the heart of the vibrant city of Lahore exists a centuries-old hub of traditional musicians, erotic dancers and prostitutes.
Heera Mandi was transformed from an acclaimed school of etiquette and correctitude to a market of pimps and prostitutes under the British Raj. The incontrovertible distinction between courtesan and whore bedimmed as dance was entwined with sex. This change in dynamics of the market proved to be a blow as it scarred its image with ineradicable and lasting blotches of flesh trading.
Another blow that changed the course of this business’ dimensions was the arbitrary push for Islamisation of the society. Frequent crackdowns on inherited and designated red-light areas in different cities of the country actually aided in geographical dispersion of these businesses instead of wrapping them up.
These markets of whoredom were pushed underground and ultimately established in upmarket residential areas to avoid the belligerence of police and subsequent embarrassment. Despite the societal stigma attached to the people visiting such places, the customers never ceased resorting to this medium of casting out frustration and, in preference to being the guest of prostitutes in outlandish rooms of strikingly strange buildings in unexplored streets, they started becoming hosts of harlots at private dens and hotel rooms.
District Police Officer (DPO) of Gujrat, Sohail Zafar Chattha, concurred with the aforementioned notion: “It is a factually correct perception that unwanted and pointless raids in ‘80s aided in geographical spread of brothels. For example, attempts to curtail such activities in Heera Mandi forced the sex workers to relocate to then developing areas of Lahore. Those who could afford moved to Defence area while the rest occupied few blocks of Iqbal Town. And it must be noted that not all occupants of Heera Mandi were involved in prostitution. The district has given us great musicians and dancers, but this displacement brought everyone under the same ambit, stigmatising even those who were not involved.”
It was after a three-month deadline given by the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to eliminate prostitution dens along with others from the provincial capital and subsequent orders of Capital City Police Officer retired Captain Amin Wains that consolidated data drafted by the Superintendents of Police first surfaced.
The report revealed that the provincial capital is housing at least 318 prostitution dens, the most notorious area being the PML-N’s dominated area – the City Police Division. The Saddar Division was reported to be domiciling 78, Model Town Division 53 and the Cantonment Division 44 brothels.
Yet another sniping blitz on the mode the business was operating through were gratuitous and baseless raids on these private lodges and hideouts. These needless incursions by police, in opinion of some psychologists, have led to the observable increase in paedophilia and incidents of rape.
“A crackdown is baseless because people will find other outlets and ways of satisfying their needs,” remarked a psychologist on condition of anonymity. “Shutting down brothels is nothing but useless. The state could think of regulating it instead and for that the state would have to legalise it which would lead to slightly increased acceptance of sex work as a job in the society and would, subsequently, kindle a debate on its religious and cultural dimensions.”
Despite pressing on the “more discernible” link between sexual abuse and power, the interviewed psychologist acknowledged the evident and logical connection between molestation and sexual frustration.
“Yes, we have ventured into people’s private lives. Instead of making laws to protect the vulnerable here we have started moral policing, depriving people of relatively more socially acceptable or, say, less baleful and unwholesome outlets,” she explained.
In DPO Sohail Zafar’s opinion, subjecting people to damnation merely because they fail to produce nikahnamas is “absolutely ridiculous”. “This was the story of ‘80s. Even ‘90s is now over. Police at that point in time was ordained to make sudden surprise attacks and search such edifices without warning in order to impose a restriction on sex industry which has never operated in this country in a manner similar to that abroad. Today, we are living in post-modernisation era. Now, if police conducts raids, it is entirely hinging on personal financial interests. They do it to exploit couples and make money out of their vulnerability, as much as dispossessing them of readily available jewellery, cash and lots more. Thus the responsibility of demarcating the boundaries wherein to exercise power lies on the shoulders of senior police officers.”
This brings into limelight another facet of the problem in hand, which is the surprising, yet predictable, increase in public display of affection by young as well as mature couples in Pakistan owing to the bedevilling busts of police that bear more resemblance with opportunistic forays than disciplinary raids. The opportunity sought is in terms of undue favours such as blackmailing the lady to indulge in sexual activities or to face direct repercussions like infamy and contempt of turpitude.
Though the fear of being caught making out at public places still exists, the assistance provided by facilitators at parks and in cinemas is certainly more preferable and expedient than suffering at the hands of hotel staff tipping off the police about a couple’s presence in an overcharged room.
“We are a sexually frustrated society. We don’t teach our children or even adults how to address their sexual needs in a healthy manner. It’s such a taboo that even the most educated people are not really educated about the subject enough to understand their own needs,” the incognito psychologist said.
“Plus we don’t have hobbies and healthy interests,” she elaborated. “Most of us as a nation spend the entire day in front of television screens. Ask any kid, auntie or uncle what they do in their free time and they would say watch television or surf the web. So there are no healthy interests, no opportunity for outdoor physical activity. Instead, what we have are unnecessary restrictions on artistic interests and expressions both of which are effective ways of channelising energy.”
She also pointed out at the societal reluctance towards making healthy relationships. “These might not necessarily be sexual but still provide an outlet of a sort. The basic problem with public display of affection is not dating in public. It’s a public place and they have every right to sit there and enjoy each other’s company. But whenever I have seen someone sitting in a park on a bench or in a cinema hall the activity is always sexual because they don’t know other ways of expressing their desires to the other person through poetry, music or any other form of art.”
DPO Sohail Zafar furthered the stance by holding state, its denizens and their norms responsible for the chaos. “The state’s job is to save you from me. It cannot save you from you. Police in no capacity whatsoever can conduct raids on private houses and hotels and demand from couples to producenikahnamas. Their duty is beyond peeking into private matters of people. Their job is to arrest terrorists who are killing innocent people, irrational Islamist extremists who are causing unrest in our society, and drug dealers who are poisoning our youth, not couples sitting together at public places to enjoy each other’s company. What harm are they doing to the society by showing affection in public? Isn’t harassing working women a more deplorable and shameful act than two people willingly engaged in activities deemed unfit by people? We need to revisit the definition of appropriateness because our so-called moralities allow women to be molested and forced into prostitution but cannot give leave to a couple who are consensually enjoying some quality time.”
The answers to “What makes them do so?” are quite obvious, but it is equally unfortunate that our society remains blinded by the sparkles of stubbornness, mulishness and faux ego. It is this very society and the norms devised by its members that provoke people to go against these carefully excogitated principles. When law starts looking on and stealing glimpses into people’s private lives they are left with no option but to enact their bedroom stories in the open. The need of the hour is to redefine our moralities and kerb only the necessary evil without interfering in others’ lives.
