June 13, 2004

Blatant violations are being carried out because of the absence or lack of awareness about laws prohibiting the commercialization of products recorded without the knowledge of individuals

WHAT start off as dim images, minus any sound bytes, of couples surfing the Internet soon transform into the unspeakable. As things progress, one can’t help but register shock at the invasion of privacy and abuse of trust, and at the sheer desperation that has led these ill-fated boys and girls to perform intimate acts in a public place — the booth of a cyber cafe!

Even worse is the realization that these images were not captured at a standard or random security check, but recorded by a strategically-placed camera concealed in a lighting fixture by a cyber cafe owner, no doubt with an eye on the sheer marketability of the product and without any concern for the unfortunate souls and the emotional turmoil they would suffer; not to mention the mortal blow to their honour and respect in society at such a young age.

But then, popular local sentiment has always been that when caught conducting a private act in a public place, the guilty don’t deserve any pity or humane treatment. Regardless of the fact that most of the images comprise either a romantic embrace or sharing a kiss, to perverse minds even that’s enough fodder for wild fantasies.

So where, when and why were these images captured on camera? According to a popular rumour, they surfaced in a section of semi-urban Punjab and have since made their way all over the country and in retail outlets. As to what has since become of the boys and girls who became unwilling victims of exploitation of the worst kind, it is alleged that after the images were commercially marketed, some of the girls, out of sheer desperation, have taken their lives while most of the boys have run away from home. But this is mostly urban legend and what has really occurred since these images became public is still shrouded in mystery.

A visit to the downtown area of Karachi and the hub of pirated software yielded the knowledge that these CDs are in great demand and being sold for top dollar as local porn, even though some of the contents are far from being justified as X-rated material. The shopkeepers dealing in them appear adamant in their pursuit of cold, hard cash and offer the CDs for sale to whoever asks for them, without as much as batting an eyelid. For them, its business as usual and a chance to cash in on a hot commodity.

These blatant violations are being carried out because of the absence or lack of awareness about the law that prohibits the commercialization of products recorded without the knowledge of individuals, and that is liable to mortally endanger their standing in society when marketed. This ignorance has given an open hand to the negative elements in society to get away scot-free after committing such despicable acts, as horrific as any crime, and to continue to elude the authorities while at the same time earning a handsome profit by introducing the product in countrywide markets and even abroad.

The formation and practical enforcement of a law that strictly deals with the issue of couples being taped without their knowledge and the contents then being marketed is the need of the hour if such measures are to be curtailed and the mental health of future generations is to be preserved. If not, such sensational yet highly questionable exposes will continue to rock our social apparatus already crippled by religio-political turmoil that has claimed the lives of countless Pakistani youth.

On the other hand, the mental and physical retardation of natural impulses in youth coupled by the carpet-bombing of sexually-explicit images via Indian cinema, that is justified for viewing by the parents, has further confused the new generation who have lost their self-identity. They are in a quandary as to what is real and what surreal. As a result, they attempt to ape Indian screen icons by ending up in clandestine romantic liaisons that lands them in dire straits.

Pakistan’s local film industry is also partially to blame as it has failed to set credible examples or present role models to the thirsting youth by churning out meaningless productions that are neither classy nor identifiable by the local population. On the contrary, they incite violence and recede into the dark ages where women are considered private property, the gandasa is a weapon of mass destruction, the epitome of the alpha male virility is a twirled moustache that hides the better part of one’s face and a menacing attitude towards all men who are considered as competition.

In such a scenario, it is a wonder that we have managed to maintain a society reduced to tatters, along with some sort of infrastructure to pass on to the next generation of hopefuls to build upon. But with the youth also becoming a target to exploitation and passing through the mental agony that has become the destiny of their predecessors, the flame of hope, for the present, doesn’t seem to burn too bright.

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