Monday, July 18, 2016

Qandeel Baloch -- A beacon of life, cruelly put out

Qandeel Baloch as an ordinary girl
Much has been discussed about Qandeel Baloch during her life and after it. Amazing was the response of those, who dubbed her 'sleazy' in her lifetime and immediately jumped to the other side after her murder and started condemning their own likes, who called her names.

The worst type of hypocrites appeared as those, who condemned her murder, yet denounced her life as a shame for her family that they were not left with any option but to kill her. I question them all, are they really so pure and sin free that they can declare another person a sinner?

I wonder, why people hated Qandeel so much? Was she any different from any other TV or cinema stars that our society loves? Wonder why sexiness of Katrina Kaif and Sunny Leone is so much loved and not judged like that of hers?  

All Bollywood actresses are glorified as sex objects in their movies. Their seductive dance moves, their sultriness, enjoyed by Pakistani men and copied by women. Why Pakistani egos hurt so much when Qandeel pouted and acted like Indian actresses? What high moral standards, great ideals and examples society had set for her? Do we have, anything of our own that we could assert as our 'culture'?  Then, why object to her style and expression? Why people watched her videos and visited her profile so much, that gave her a dramatic boost? Definitely, they enjoyed it but also unleashed their hatred by reprimanding her.

She was an aspiring young woman, an entertainer actually, who had learnt to express herself freely and discovered it to be a way to the top. The medium she selected for herself to express was different but what she was doing, was not. Many stage dancers, film actresses of Pakistani origin indulge in it. Why this hypocrisy and double standards about her then? Why do people forget, she was trying to be an entertainer, not a religious scholar.

Something truly remarkable that she did was, exposing Mufti Qawi, a wolf in a sheep's skin. A task so great that our nation should be thankful to her for. It ultimately took her life but only she had the guts and the determination to bring the evil side of this so called religious scholar to light. Have we not heard stories of evil men in holy disguises, who loot the innocents in our country?

Unfortunately, psychopaths like her own brother, who killed her,  were at the villain's side and got to put out this beacon of life. This clearly shows the power of ecclesiastics in our society. No matter, how evil they personally maybe, if they condemn anybody, that person is doomed.
 
She never revealed till just before her killing, that she hailed from an extremely backward area of South Punjab and a poor family. She had actually made it big at her own.  Is it not enough to prove her strengths? She was almost invincible, if she was not deceived by her own blood. It maybe surprising but most of the celebrated female artists of Pakistan, belong to South Punjab. She would have proved to be an even bigger sensation than Veena Malik, who also belongs to the same area of South Punjab, that Qandeel was from. Yes! If now we enjoy Veena's performance as an adorable imitator, why we were hopeless in Qandeel's case. She could revert.  People maybe unforgiving but God is all forgiving.

Whatever the reaction of men maybe, it breaks my heart, when women condemn her and appreciate her dishonourable brother. I feel, it is more of jealousy. Every woman has a Qandeel Baloch in her. Most of the women are afraid their inner Qandeel would be seen too. Where the real one was fearless, and unstoppable, they only express their disgust freely. And they should know, by doing this they are tightening the noose, not only on their own neck but around their future generations too. They never know, what their husband, brother or son may find dishonourable in them and worth taking their life.

Her murderers must not go unpunished. Even if her family forgives the culprits, government should fight for her. Mufti Qawi, must be banned from appearing on all the channels, his name must be included in the murderers, as he is fully capable of inciting, provoking her killing.

It is such a shame, in this age, in these modern times, there are still people in our country, who still kill women in the name of honour. Hard working women, put their lives into creating a niche for themselves and finally when they either make it or are about to make it to the top, they are physically, emotionally, financially, destroyed by their own, near and dear ones. Truly tragic! When would our nation learn, there is no honour in honour killing?