LAHORE: After the removal of supposedly ‘indecent’ images from the backs of rickshaws, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has now moved on to blackening similar ‘morally corrupt’ images from the backs of trucks.
The KP police had started the campaign earlier in the month, the target of which was to remove images deemed lewd by the traffic cops. These included paintings and caricatures of famous Pashto movie stars.
The premise of the campaign was that such images which include men holding guns in menacing poses and drinking alcohol would influence young children to similar actions. The police subsequently stopped any rickshaws bearing such images and promptly used black spray paint to cover the images.
An announcement was also made that a traffic fine of Rs 300 would be implemented for repeat offenders. The first blackening of the images is accompanied only with a warning as many of the rickshaw drivers either drive their vehicles on rent or bought them second hand.
The reaction to the move had been mixed with many people lauding the move and others complaining about the destruction of a cultural phenomenon and the very literal moral policing.
Now, the KP government has extended the move towards blackening out similar paintings on the backs and sides of transportation trucks. The paintings, which make up a large component of the widely cited part of Pakistani culture known as ‘truck art’ has now left many people divided.
The PTI’s vast social media presence displayed the actions with pride uploading a number of videos promoting the campaign’s new leg. However, one of the social media videos left PPP Senator Sherry Rehman and the PTI’s official spokesperson Fawad Chaudry in the midst of a harsh twitter exchange.
Insinuating that the move was specifically targeted at hiding women’s faces from public, Senator Rehman tweeted an image of one of the spray-canned trucks saying “Imran Khan, please take notice of KP police blacking out the image of a woman on a billboard. Are women’s faces to be defaced in naya Pakistan ?”
Fawad Chaudry responded in turn saying “I think police acted lawfully, you cannot advocate painting women with cleavages exposed on a truck.”
Meanwhile, the supporters of both leaders also weighed in with many making some of the earlier arguments including it being a positive step. Others continued to argue that it was repressive and against freedom of expression.
