WHILE travelling from Lahore to Islamabad on a Peshawar-bound bus I witnessed a misogynist incident. A woman, who had purchased a ticket, entered the bus, placed a shopper on her seat (part of what actually was an extended bench) and went out for some errand.
When she returned she found her seat occupied by a man. When she protested, the macho guy replied that it had already been allotted to him. She showed him and the bus driver her ticket, but to no avail. They asked her to see the ticket clerk.
She took awhile to return and the bus departed without her. I know what the real reason was. There was no other woman who could occupy the seat next to her. If she had occupied the seat, the other adjoining seats on the ‘bench’ would have remained unoccupied and unpaid for. So the bus company earned money at her expense.
Shadman Zain
Village Morder, Mastuj tahsil
Chitral district
Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2018
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.