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Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 15th, 2014
Najam Sethi, whose Top Priority is to Conduct Free & Fair Elections.Selected by the Parliamentary Committee of the Govt & Opposition Unanimously.A Question:“The most effective subversion is carried out on our TV screens.In what call “GEO Technique” of subversion,the principle followed is: “Half truths are like half bricks; you can thrown them farther”.In its programme “Aapis ki baat”,Najam Sethi practices the technique perfectly.The description of facts are by and large correct; it is conclusion whichalways is: “Pakistan should do what the USA (or India)want otherwise the consequences would be dire.”Sethi Gate?
JUNE 10, 2012
in Featured ArticlesThe Family Gate scandal seems like a flood gate of scandals,where top power brokers including army, bureaucrats,politicians and media are believed to be heavily involved.
One of the influential players from media community,
Najam Sethi is believed to be the part of this flood gate.
As Dawn TV anchor Talat Hussain recently alleged in this talk show
that
Najam Sethi’s ‘ChiRya’ (inside information source) is actually Malik Riaz.
Later Najam Sethi in his talk show criticized Talat and that was replied by Talat
in his talk show by declaring all his assets and challenging Sethi to do that. Now as per some documents, Sethi owns properties in US that are likely to be declared or exposed.
Some people, through social media ,
even has alleged that Sethi received all these properties as benefits from his ‘Chirya’ aka Malik Riaz.
There are also reports that Najam Sethi , as a close aide of Malik Riaz had witnessed all evidence related to scandal against Arsalan Iftikhar and that he is the one who helped Malik Riaz to cut a deal with some journalist in Western Media to publish all the evidence and other parts of the story that have not been disclosed in Pakistani media.
Najam Sethi Property – 240 West, 98 Street, Manhattn New York
Najam Sethi Property – 100 Riverside Boulevard, Manhattan New York…………………………………………………… …………. The London Group
Flag of the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) – a left-wing Baloch militant outfitthat was one of the leading Baloch separatist guerrilla groups during the Balochistan insurgency in the 1970s.A rudimentary ‘study circle’ was formed in London (in 1969) by someMarxist Pakistani students studying in colleges and universities there.There were about 25 such students in the group who used to meet to discuss various left-wing movements and literature.They also began publishing a magazine called ‘Pakistan Zindabad’that (in 1971) had to be smuggled into Pakistan because it was highly critical of thePakistani military’s role in the former East Pakistan.The magazine helped the group to forge a relationship with someBaloch nationalists who invited the group members to travel to Balochistanand help the nationalists set into motion some education related projects.After the loss of East Pakistan in 1971, the populist PPP had formed anew elected government at the centre, whereas the leftist NAP washeading the provincial government in Balochistan.In 1973, the PPP regime accused NAP of fostering aseparatist movement in Balochistan and dismissed it.In reaction, hordes of Baloch tr ibesmen picked up arms andtriggered a full-fledged guerrilla war against the Pakistan Army.
NAP workers gather outside the offices of the party in Quettasoon after the NAP regime in Balochistan was dismissed by Prime Minster Bhutto in 1973.About five members of the London Club decided to quit their studies in London,travel back to Pakistan and join the insurgency on the Baloch nationalists’ side.They were all between the ages of 20 and 25, came from well-off families and none of them were Baloch.Four were from the Punjab province and included Najam Sethi, Ahmed Rashid, and brothers Rashid and Asad Rehman. One was from a Pakistani Hindu family:Dalip Dass.All wanted to use the Balochistan situation to ‘trigger a communist revolution in Pakistan.’Dass was the son of a senior officer in the Pakistan Air Force. After his schooling in Pakistan, he had joined the Oxford University in the late 1960s where he became a committed Marxist.
Dalip Daas (right) chatting with a friend at a Pakistani college.He soon travelled to London to join Oxford University before secretlyreturning to Pakistan to join the Baloch guerrilla fighters in the mountains of Balochistan.Asad and Rashid Rehman were sons of Justice SA Rehman whohad been a close colleague of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.Najam Sethi came from a well-to-do middle-class family in Lahoreand so did Ahmad Rashid whose family hailed from Rawalpindi.All five members had travelled to England to study in prestigious British universities.Initially, they were energised by the left-wing student movements that eruptedacross the world (including Pakistan) in the late 1960s.When they reached their respective universities in London,they got involved in the student movements there but kept an eyeon the developments in Pakistan where a student movement hadmanaged to force out the country’s first military dictator,Ayub Khan (in 1969).The study group honed its knowledge of Marxism, but also beganstudying revolutionary guerrilla manuals authored by such communistrevolutionaries as Che Guevara, Carlos Marighella and Frantz Fanon.When a civil war between the Pakistan Army andBengali nationalists began in 1971 in former East Pakistan,the group, that originally consisted of about 25 Pakistanistudents studying in England, began to publish a magazinecalled ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ that severely criticised therole of the Pakistani establishment in East Pakistan.The magazine was smuggled into Pakistan and then distributedin the country by Pakistani left-wing student groups such as theNational Students Federation (NSF) that had also led the movementagainst the Ayub regime.One of the issues of the magazine fell into the hands of someveteran left-wing Baloch nationalist leaders in Balochistan.One of them was Sher Muhammad Marri who at once sentMuhammad Babha to London to make contact withthe publishers of the magazine.Muhammad Babha whose family was settled in Karachi, met the members of the study circle in London and communicated Marri’s invitation to them to visit Balochistan.Seven members of the circle agreed to travel to Balochistan. However, two backed out, leaving just five.All five decided to travel back to Pakistan without telling their families who still thought they were studying in England.The years 1971 and 1972 were spent learning the Baloch language and customs, and handling and usage of weapons – especially by Asad Rehman, Ahmad Rashid and Dalip Dass who would eventually join the Baloch resistance fighters in the mountains once the insurgency began in 1973.Najam Sethi and Rashid Rehman stationed themselves in Karachi to secretly raise funds for the armed movement.Each one of them believed that the government’s move against the NAP regime was akin to the establishment’s attitude towards the Bengalis of the former EastPakistan (that broke away in 1971 to become the independent Bengali state of Bangladesh).The young men’s parents all thought their sons were in London, studying. It was only in 1974 when the government revealed their names that the parents came to know.The three men in the mountains took active part in the conflict, facing an army that used heavy weaponry and helicopters that were supplied by the Shah of Iran and piloted by Iranian pilots.All three had also changed their look to suit the attire and appearance of their Baloch comrades.
Asad Rehman tracking the mountains of Balochistan with his group of Baloch fighters in 1974.First to fall was the 23-year-old Dalip Daas. In 1974, while being driven in a jeep with a Baloch comrade and a sympathetic Kurd driver into the neighbouring Sindh province for a meeting with a Sindhi nationalist, the jeep was stopped at a military check-post on the Balochistan-Sindh border.Daas=0 and his Baloch comrade were asked to stay while the driver was allowed to go. Many believe the driver was an informant of the military.Daas was taken in by the military and shifted to interrogation cells in Quetta and then the interior Sindh. There he was tortured and must have died because he was never seen again. He vanished.For years friends and family of Daas have tried to find his body, but to no avail. He remains ‘missing.’
A transformed Dalip Daas just before his arrest, torture and death.After Daas’ disappearance, Rashid Rehman who was operating with Najam Sethi in Karachi went deeper underground.In 1976, the 28-year-old Sethi’s cover was blown and he was picked up by the military and thrown into solitary confinement.More than 5,000 Baloch men and women lost their lives in the war that ended when the PPP regime was toppled in a reactionary military coup in 1977.Asad and Rashid Rehman remained underground till 1978 before departing for Kabul and then to London.Ahmed Rashid also escaped to London.Asad returned to Pakistan in 1980 before going back, this time to escape the right-wing dictatorship of Ziaul Haq.He again returned to the country and became a passionate human rights activist and continued speaking for the rights of the Baloch till his death in 2013.
Asad Rehman in 2012. He passed away in 2013.After his release in 1978, Najam Sethi became a successful publisher and progressive journalist. Today he is also known as a celebrated political analyst and a popular TV personality.
Najam Sethi in 2012. Today he is one of the leading liberal voices and political analysts on mainstream TV in Pakistan.Ahmad Rashid travelled to England, became a journalist and then a highly respected and best-selling political author and expert on the politics of Afghanistan andPakistan.
Ahmad Rashid in 2009.Rashid Rehman returned to Pakistan from London and became a leading journalist and editor.
Rashid Rehman (second from left) in conversation with British author William Dalrymple (right) in 2012.The conflict in Balochistan continues.
Nadeem F. Paracha is a cultural critic and senior columnist for Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.comThen read this:Media gate –1 9 anchors & journalists funded by Malik Riaz EXPOSED
The following is the list of Anchors & Journalists who were paid by
Malik Riaz. This list was leaked by one of the former employee of
Bahria Town, who has worked in the I.T Department and this person also
had access to all the computers connected to Bahria Town’s network
including Malik Riaz and Ali Riaz’s personal computers. This document
, along with other 100s of other proofs were obtained from hacked
computers. The documents obtained contain transactions of all the bank
accounts, bank statements, emails sent/received and information on
deals/projects.
In order to find out if the information stated in the document is
authentic, anyone can contact the banks listed in the document,
provide them with the account number and get details on the
transitions listed.
The reason behind releasing this document is to show people of
Pakistan the real faces of the media personals and TV Channels. We
watch their shows, read their columns and believe their opinions and
reporting. But matter of the fact is that, most of the reporting is
paid and biased. We as a nation need to realize that our country is
struggling to survive and we need to kick out the enemies of state out
of our country to save our beloved country.
1) Mubashir Luqman
– Received 2 Crore and 85 Lakh rupees in 3 installments through National Bank
– Mercedes-Benz
2) Dr.Shahid Masood
– Received 1 Crore and 7 Lakh rupees in 1 Instalments through National Bank
– 7 Fully Paid trips to Dubai, Including Hotel stays and car Rentals
3) Najam Sethi
– Received 1 Crore and 94 Lakh rupees
– 1 Kanal Plot in Bahria Town Lahore
– 3 Fully Paid Trips to USA including hotel stays
Money Transferred From:
Muslim Commercial Bank
Main Boulevard DHA ,Lahore, Pakistan
Account Title: Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited
Account # : 14-7
Swift Code: MUCBPKKAA
4) Kamran Khan
– Received 62 Lakh Rupees, was promised 2 Crore + a house in Bahria
Town, but didn’t receive it until May 2012
Money Transferred From:
NIBC Bank Limited (Bahria Town Branch) Account# 8283982
5) Hassan Nisar
– Received 1 Crore and 10 Lakh Rupees
– 10 Marla Plot in Bahria Town
Money Transferred From:
Account Title: Bahria Town Pvt. Limited
Account# 42279-2
With Habib Bank Limited LDA Plaza Branch, Lahore
Code:1315
Swift: HABBPKKAX315
6) Hamid Mir
– Received 2 Crore and 50 Lakh Rupees
– 5 Kanal Plot in Islamabad
Money Transferred From:
NIBC Bank Limited (Bahria Town Branch) Account# 8284059
7) Mazhar Abbas
– Received 90 Lakh
– 10 Marla Plot in Lahore
Money Transferred From:
MCB Account# 0075232201000124
8) Meher Bukhari
– Received 50 Lacks on Her wedding with Kashif Abbasi
– 1 Kanal Plot in Islamabad
9) Marvi Sirmed
– Received 10 Lakh Rupees
Money Transferred From:
NIBC Bank Limited (Bahria Town Branch) Account# 8284059
10) Arshad Sharif
– Promoted as Bureau Chief of Dunya Tv on the request of Malik Riaz in 2011
– Received 85 Lakh Rupees in 2 Instalments
Money Transferred From:
UBL Account# 37100154
11) Nusrat Javed
– Received 78 Lakh Rupees+ Toyota Corolla
Money Transferred From:
Muslim Commercial Bank
Main Boulevard DHA ,Lahore,Pakistan
Account Title: Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited
Account # : 14-7
Swift Code: MUCBPKKAA
12) Mushtaq Minhas
– Received 55 Lakh Rupees in 2 Instalments
Money Transferred From:
Account Title: Bahria Town Pvt. Limited
Account# 51077-6
With Habib Bank limited LDA Plaza Branch, Lahore
Code:1315
Swift: HABBPKKAX315
13) Javed Chaudhry
– Received 3 Lakh per column written under the name of Malik Riaz
– 10 Marla House in Bah ria Town
– Received 1 Crore for helping to write a book for Malik Riaz
Money Transferred From:
UBL Account# 37100154
14) Sana Bucha
– Received 83 Lakh Rupees
– 10 Marla Plot in Lahore
Money Transferred From:
Muslim Commercial Bank
Main Boulevard DHA ,Lahore,Pakistan
Account Title: Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited
Account # : 14-7
Swift Code: MUCBPKKAA
15) Muneeb Farooq
– Received 25 Lakh Rupees
– Fully paid round trip to Dubai and a week stay in 5 star hotel
Money Transferred From:
Askari Bank Account# 01000101011180
16) Aftab Iqbal
– In 2010, with the help of Malik Riaz, Aftab Iqbal was able to join
Geo Tv and start his new show Khabarnaak.
– Ever since the show started Aftab Iqbal was paid by PML(N) & Malik
Riaz to promote positive image of PML(N)
– From 2010 to 2012, he was paid estimated 2 crore
– Received Toyota Jeep
– Land bought by Malik Riaz in Bedian Road was gifted to Aftab Iqbal
to build his farm house
Money Transferred From:
Meezan Bank (Bahria Town Branch) Account# 3620
17) Sohail Waraich
– Sohail was paid 15 Lakh Rupees to promote positive image of Malik
Riaz in Aik Din Geo Ke Saath
– Gifted Honda Civic to Sohail Waraich in 2008
Money Transferred From:
Account Title: Bahria Town Pvt. Limited
Account# 42 279-2
With Habib Bank Limited LDA Plaza Branch, Lahore
Code:1315
Swift: HABBPKKAX315
18) Asma Sherazi
Received 45 Lakh Rupees 1 instalment
Money Transfer From
Account Title Bahria Town Pvt Limited
Account #51077-5
With Habib Bank Limited LDA Plaza Bahria Town Lahore
Code 1315
Swift:HABBPKKAX315
19) Sami Ibrahim
Received 1 Crore
1 Kanal Plot in Bahria Town
Received Toyota Corolla in 2010
Money Transfer From
KASB Bank (Bahria Town Branch) Account #3710581401By: Farrukh Shabbir, Uploaded: 14th June 2012
A record of payments allegedly made to 19 senior-journalists of Pakistan, by the Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz has surfaced on the social networking site Twitter, Aaj News reported.
Renowned names of various news television anchors and journalists like Dr. Shahid Masood, Najam Sethi, Kamran Khan, Nusrat Javed, Meher Bokhari, Mubasher Lucman, Hamid Mir, Javed Chaudhry, Sana Bucha, Sohail Waraich and Asma Shirazi among a few others, are present in the lists below.
An account of favors given to these journalists in shapes of money, cars and property etc is recorded in these trademarked letterheads of Bahria To wn.
By: Farrukh Shabbir, Uploaded: 14th June 2012A record of payments allegedly made to 19 senior-journalists of Pakistan, by the Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz has surfaced on the social networking site Twitter, Aaj News reported.
Renowned names of various news television anchors and journalists like Dr. Shahid Masood, Najam Sethi, Kamran Khan, Nusrat Javed, Meher Bokhari, Mubasher Lucman, Hamid Mir, Javed Chaudhry, Sana Bucha, Sohail Waraich and Asma Shirazi among a few others, are present in the lists below.
An account of favors given to these journalists in shapes of money, cars and property etc is recorded in these trademarked letterheads of Bahria Town.
ALLAH O AKBARPAKISTANZINDABADNAJAM SETHI IS A GANDHI TRAITOR & HEBOUGHT A FLAT FOR 30 LAKH DOLLARS —- نجم سیٹھی ، گاندھی غدار اور مکی ماؤس امریکی غدار ھے اور اس نے حرام کے پیسے سے تیس لاکھ ڈالر کا فلیٹ خریدا
Posted: March 27, 2013 | Author: ghaddars | Filed under: Boot Lickers of USA & Britain, Domestic Ghaddars of Pakistan, Gandhi Traitors, GHADDARS, Journalistic Traitors, MICKY MO– — USE GHADDARS, Najam Sethi, SLUMDOG INDIA, TRAITORS, Ummat, URDU NEWSPAPERS, مکی ماؤس امریکہ اور کاکروچ برطانیہ کے پالتو کتے, مکی ماؤس غدار, نجم سیٹھی ، گاندھی غدار اور مکی ماؤس امریکی غدار ھے, گاندھی غدار, ھمیں غداروں سے نفرت ھے, پاکستان کے غدار صحافی, امت, اردو اخبار, بد قسمت پاکستان گاندھی غداروں سے بھرا پڑا ھے, غداروں اور وطن فروشوں پہ لعنت | Tags: Gandhi Traitors, GHADDARS, Micky Mouse Ghaddar,Micky Mouse Traitor, Najam Sethi, SLUMDOG INDIA, TRAITORS, نجم سیٹھی ، گاندھی غدار اور مکی ماؤس امریکی غدار ھے |Leave a comment »
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Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 15th, 2014
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 15th, 2014
OBITUARY- COL PATRICK C TIERNEY A GREAT SOLDIER AND AN EXCEPTIONAL AVIATOR PASSED AWAY IN CANADA ON 12 DECEMBER 2013.
Col Patrick c Tierney was under palliative care for the last 15 days in a hospital in Canada and passed away on 12 December 2013. He will long be remembered by his friends/students with love and affection. May God Almighty bless his soul. Col Patrick c Tierney was a great soldier, aviator, teacher, who lead from the front. He was Senior under Officer in PMA and passed out in the top cadets of his course in early fifties. He joined Pakistan Artillery later as a young officer joined Army aviation passing out with top honors.
Col Pat as he was known to all in the Army Aviation was out spoken and expressed himself freely. He was no nonsense man, who always protected his under command officers and men. He was Flying Instructor on all Aviation Acs both FIXED wing and Choppers. He was our CFI, when I was one of the Flying Instructors. He was very professional and had a down to earth approach in all Matters. At times after having given a check out to a fixed wing student, he would just walk over to check out a student on the helicopter course. He would never compromise on high standards set by him and of course no SAFARISH, he would be very blunt on such matters. No wonders his friends called him SAAB with love /respect and affection. A senior Aviator, who would come for his annual compulsory flying would insist on logging solo even if he had flown dual with an instructor. After about 30 minutes of dual, the general asked PAT that he would log solo. Col Pat (then Major) told him very bluntly (his ex CO) sir, just a moment you want to log Solo , I shall book you for solo, fly solo, this half hour will be logged as dual. There are many other stories of his wit. Once he was coming to Lahore from Dhamial base Rawalpindi and called Finals for Lahore airport. There was a PIA boing 707 flown by Abdullah Beg a very senior PIA captain, who was asked to hold till the L-19 landed. After a few minutes Abdullah beg told the ATC, “Where the hell is this small mosquito I am burning fuel.” Before Lahore could respond came a prompt reply from then Captain PAT, “Lahore tower Does the PIA captain think I am burning Water I am also burning Expensive Fuel!” A big laughter was heard both from the cockpit and the tower.
Few people know that he changed the policy for promotions in the Army Aviation. Army Aviation officers had to be posted back to their respective units/ arms to earn the last ACR for promotion to the rank of Lt Col. Everyone considered this to be unfair both the Officer and the CO of the unit to which the officer was posted for one ACR. Col Pat then a Major refused to be posted back to his Parent Arm ARTY, writing to the MS branch that it would be unfair to the CO of Arty to grade him after he had spent almost 16 years in the Army Aviation away from ARTY. If he was to be considered fit for promotion he should be assessed for AVIATION and refused to go to an Arty Regt for ACR only. Col PAT’s point was accepted by the COAS Gen Tikka khan, who had known PAT well and changed the rule for aviation officer to be considered FIT for Aviation only. Col Pat was promoted and all the other Aviation officers also benefitted. It is most unfortunate that Col Pat decided to leave Pakistan a country he loved from the Core of his heart.
Col Pat would be long remembered / missed by all his students and friends alike with love and affection. MAY GOD ALMIGHTY BLESS HIS SOUL.
Lt Col Muhammad Shahbaz Thuthaal(Retd)
http://barnesmemorialfuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/1747238/Tierney-Patrick/obituary.php
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 15th, 2014
Date: Sat, Feb 8, 2014 at 1:27 AM
* HDS Tower in Cluster of Jumeirah Lakes Tower, Dubai, is only one of
the 34 storey buildings that belongs to the mighty HDS Group. The News
Tribe learnt that several other buildings in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Business
Bay and International City, like the HDS Sunstar Towers, are also owned by
the millionaire brothers, surprisingly Pakistanis.** The owners of HDS Group, Ali Dar and Hasnain Dar, are none other than
the sons of finance minister of Pakistan, Senator Ishaq Dar. It’s worth
mentioning here that the elder son, Ali Dar, is also the son-in-law of
Pakistan Muslim Leagues’ leader, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif. Apart from
several real estate ventures, The HDS Group had also launched HDS Rent a
Car, in Jumeriah Lake Towers, in July 2012. Senator Ishaq Dar’s son, Ali
Dar, takes the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 for the inaugural run. The
uniqueness of the car rental company lies in its array of niche car
manufacturers and models of cars unavailable to the market. HDS Rent a Car
owns the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Mercedes Benz SLS 63 AMG
Gullwing, apart from the more economy cars such as Peugeot and Renault.
Some of the many exotic, luxury and SUVs in the line up are the the
Ferrari Berlinetta F12 and the McLaren F1, and you can do the numbers
yourself! **The owners from a ‘poor and starving’ country Pakistan, where the** average
monthly income for an individual is $41, *
*are offering such** exotic services in Dubai, which even the local
**rich **Emiratis
fail to afford.** Madhu Bhindari, the Indian Billionaire who invested money in Dubai with
Pakistani politicians. Sources further told The News Tribe that the story
does not end here; another Finance Minister from the Nawaz Sharif
Government, made hundreds of real estate transactions with Madhu Bhindari,
an Indian billionaire entrepreneur, who is on a run-away from Dubai, after
losing 150 million dirhams in the 2008 crisis. However, the finance
minister’s buildings and investments are still there, earning a
hefty income. A Pakistani real estate agent, who claimed to carry out
transactions for a serving government officer in Sindh Government, told The
News Tribe that a lot of Pakistani bureaucrats and politicians have
properties worth millions in Dubai. “The son of a serving government
officer from Sindh government invested a huge amount of money in real
estate here in 2008, and I carried out transactions for him,” the agent
claimed. “Where are these politicians getting the money from?” asked a
frustrated Pakistani in Dubai, who came to know that the building he lived
in is owned by Ali and Hasnain Dar’s HDS Group. “If they have billions of
dollars and so much money, why is it not in Pakistan? These politicians
talk about the welfare of Pakistani people, but all they can think about
is themselves!”*
* Previously, Directors of Swiss Bank had stated that Pakistan has
around 97 billion dollars only in Swiss Banks. But, it seems that
Pakistani politicians and businessmen have more than 97 billion dollars
outside the Swiss Banks, invested in various countries and financial hubs
like Dubai.*
* According to the Swiss Bank directors, if the money is utilized for the
welfare of Pakistan and its people, then Pakistan can make tax free budget
for next 30 years, can create 60 million jobs, can carpet four lanes road
from any village to Islamabad, provide endless power supply, every citizen
can earn Rs. 20,000 salary for the next 60 years and there is no need to
take loans from IMF or World Bank. *
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 8th, 2014
Figures suggest a woman is raped in India every 22 minutes. Does the way female characters are depicted on screen play a role? Tom Brook asks some of the industry’s major players.
(Eros International)
In December 2012, the horrific gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student on a bus in Delhi resulted in her death, made headlines around the world and prompted a national outcry in India. It led one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Shah Rukh Khan to tweet: “I am so sorry that I am a part of this society and culture. I am so sorry that I am a man.”
Since then numerous acts of sexual violence in India have been widely reported, including another shocking gang rape in West Bengal last month, allegedly meted out as a form of punishment to a 20-year-old woman on the orders of village elders. Figures from India’s National Crime Records Bureau suggest that a rape is now taking place in India every 22 minutes.
In the soul searching that has accompanied these shocking stories, the question has been asked: is Bollywood partly to blame for fomenting sexual violence against Indian women because of its imagery and narratives?
The portrayal of women in Indian cinema is showing some encouraging signs of improvement but top Indian director Mira Nair isn’t happy with mainstream Bollywood depictions which she sees as often demeaning. “A lot of our films go down the same old stereotype,” she says. “When there’s a sexy babe she has to gyrate and gyrate and she has to be an object of great allure and sex appeal and almost I would say vulgarity.”
Of particular concern are so-called ‘item numbers’ which are extremely popular, tightly choreographed and often sexually provocative musical performances which routinely appear in Bollywood films. To many moviegoers item numbers are engaging entertainment. But Mira Nair views them differently. “In the mass cinema one is seeing outrageous item numbers with the latest Bollywood queen in a largely male environment where she swings her way to all kinds of allure,” she says. “I really question this. I don’t think it leads to any kind of respectful interaction between men and women.”
For Indian actress Tillotama Shome, the focus shouldn’t just be on how Bollywood depicts women. “It’s also the portrayal of men,” she says. “It’s usually the manly man, either aggressive [or] very conservative. The stereotypes are as damaging for the man as it is for the woman, and it does impact society in continuing those kinds of stereotypes.”
No means NO!
Also of concern are recurring narratives suggesting that Indian women don’t really mean what they say when they resist sexual overtures. Last month saw the re-release in 3D of the Indian action-adventure classic Sholay. There is one sequence in which a woman very strongly rebuffs the aggressive advances of a man. Eventually she succumbs and the impression is given that although she was saying ‘no’ what she meant was ‘yes’. This fraught interaction between the sexes is often seen in Indian cinema. It is quite acceptable in many Bollywood films for a male character to stalk a woman.
One of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Aamir Khan, who’s more socially progressive than some of his counterparts, is concerned by movies that might normalise stalking. “There are films that are made which make certain things fashionable or cool,” he says, “which is very unfortunate. It is reflective of our thinking, that there are people in our creative field, who consider that a good enough story to tell. So it’s reflective of the way we are – and it’s sad.”
But not everyone in Bollywood thinks an apology is needed. Megastar Shah Rukh Khan, who according to one estimate has more than 3.5 billion fans, says: “I’m very clear that cinema in India does not lend itself in any which way to degrade women. Anyone who says that is extremely myopic.”
He bolsters his case with his assertion that actresses who may participate in provocative item numbers have no qualms over what they’re doing. “Whenever they’ve done a song or a sequence which is say titillating or somehow derogatory,” he says, “they’ve had a very strong choice in saying ‘Look, yeah: this is in terms of entertainment. I do it. I know what I’m doing. I’m not being pushed into this.’”
Feminist critics have argued that the continual sexual objectification of women on screen can have a harmful impact on women in the real world and can lead to acts of violence. But Shah Rukh Khan sees no connection. “You know that’s like saying ‘You show violence on a film then that comes on the streets,’” he says. “I haven’t seen comedy come on streets because of comedy, then why do you start assuming that the treatment of women, and the commodification of women is now coming on because of Bollywood. I don’t think so at all.”
Days of rage
It has also been argued that Bollywood – along with certain Indian reality television programmes – has created strong aspirational desires in the audience, painting a picture of a world where expensive luxury goods are seen in plentiful supply. It is thought that this, coupled with the growing independence of many Indian women who have moved into the urban workforce may have left some men angry and more likely to engage in acts of sexual violence.
Mira Nair notes that “the anger in a young man’s eyes when he sees a modern woman coming out of a movie and getting into a bus, it’s a kind of envy and anger. Like how can a working woman get so far ahead when I am not.” There have been some films that have attempted to incorporate the realities of violence targeted at women – but not many. Among them is the 2011 thriller No One Killed Jessica, which is based on the true story of Jessica Lal, a Delhi model and bar hostess who was murdered in 1999.
Indian actress Tillotama Shome thinks that independent cinema could certainly bring stories to the screen dealing with sexual violence – but to her it’s important that any screenplay avoids the obvious. “If there was a film which explored the day of a man before he commits the act of rape,rather than showing rape to me on screen – which I’ve seen a hundred times,” she says, that film could “create a sense of understanding.”
It is worth making the point that for all the attention on India right now, it still ranks well below the US in terms of recorded cases of rape. Hollywood’s portrayal of women may leave much to be desired but most would agree that female characters in American films are far more realistic and evolved than their Bollywood counterparts. Of course there are a range of factors that play a part in inciting acts of sexual violence against women – whether in India or the US – other than the way they are represented on screen.
Stars concede Bollywood may be partly to blame but argue that the entertainment industry shouldn’t really be the main focus of concern. “We don’t have proper law and order,” says Aamir Khan. “If you’d look at rape as a crime in India, most of the rape cases don’t get reported. So, I think that while the film industry really needs to look inwards, towards ourselves to see how we portray women in our films – and certainly a lot needs to be done there – I think the larger problem, and the larger issue, is that our law and order machinery has just completely failed us.”
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