Meet Doctor Maria Zulfiqar Khan, she hosts a programme "baat say baat" on Express News, conducts "raids" and is a new vigilante in Pakistani media market.
In her recent programme, she conducted a self-styled raid on a massage center in Lahore, accused it of being a "sex center" and harassed the women over there.
Although police was accompanying her, but she played being in charge, gave orders to policemen, like ان کو پکڑیں جی (arrest them), or یہ دروازے کھلوائیں جی (get these doors unlocked) etc.
In the programme, we see women helplessly trying to hide their faces, pleading the cameraman not to shoot. We also see the so-called anchor, searching through the house, going through handbag of a lady, putting the particulars on table, picking up a condom, flipping it in face of the lady and shouting "یہ کیا ہے، یہ کیا ہے" (what is this? what is this?).
Maria Khan also plays being an interrogator, cross-questioning employees, and when the answers do not match, telling the lady to "at least corroborate your 'bloody' story." During her 'investigation' she also threatens handing one woman over to the police if she did not tell the truth. At one point, not agreeing to the answers of her respondents, she says sarcastically, "yeah right, tell that to the cops when they take you."
At 19th minute of the programme, she is seen ordering the girls to "get up and get your passports".
At the end of the programme (approx 32nd minute onwards) she visits house of one of the girls working in the massage center. From there, she calls the father of the girl, and confronts him by saying کس قسم کے جاہل اور جلاد آدمی ہیں آپ (what kind of a cruel and ignorant man you are), and شرم نہیں آتی تمہیں، فوراً یہاں پہنچو (don't you have any sense of honour, get here quickly), and tells her audience یہ آدمی اپنی بیٹی سے دھندہ کراتا ہے، کس قسم کا جانور اور درندہ صفت انسان ہے (this man made her daughter a prostitute, what an animal he is).
And all the while, the programme was being supplemented with lines flashing this text
بات سے بات نے کیا مساج سینٹرز کا پردہ چاک
baat say baat exposed massage centers
مساج سینٹرز کی آڑ میں جسم فروشی کا دھندہ
prostitution in guise of massage centers
مساج سینٹر یا عیاشی کے اڈے
massage centers or bases of immoral activities
مساج سینٹر، جہاں جسم سجتے ہیں بازار بن کر
massage centers, where bodies are sold
زبان سمجھ نہیں آتی مگر "کام" سمجھ آتا ہے
they do not understand the 'language' but do understand their 'work'. (this one referring to the Chinese nationality of the massage center owner)
Questions:
- Who gave Doctor Maria Zulfiqar Khan rights to conduct "raids" when it is responsibility of police?
- Does she have authority to barge into any one's house, demand a 'search', go through personal belongings, harass, talk in a harsh tone, insult, telling the police to arrest someone, and pass judgements?
- Can the cameras shoot any person if he is not willing to be shot?
- NO, NOT AT ALL
Conclusion:
We previously had a vigilante Maya Khan, she raided dating couples in parks; social-media protests made her apologise for compromising journalistic standards. So what shall we do about our new vigilante named Maria Khan.
POST SCRIPT: If you want to watch the complete programme, you can watch it here.
POST SCRIPT: If you want to watch the complete programme, you can watch it here.
Good to find some inhouse feedback. Hope it reches the right ears:)
ReplyDeleteand hope the writer doesn't have to face any brunt for this :)
ReplyDeleteMaria's khan house address and phone numbers should be made public so vigilantes can keep a vigil on her activities as well
ReplyDeleteEvery one Has his or her personal life,no one have right to interfere.we dnt know what the probelms those girls facing and y they choose such fillthy life but obviously there must be some big reason.no body wil sell his or her soul otherwise.but people like Maria zulfiqar and Maya khan dnt understand it.situation kuch bhi ho ksi ki personal life ko istrha tamsha bananay ka haq ksi ko nahi.if they themselves face such kind of situation,what will be their response?????
ReplyDeleteAm glad you raised this subject. Was going to send u an email abt it since u work for the channel bt before tht i read this. Saw abt 5min of it and couldn't stand her attitude.
ReplyDeleteAm glad you raised this subject. Was going to send u an email abt it since u work for the channel bt before tht i read this. Saw abt 5min of it and couldn't stand her attitude.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the responsibility of the Police then why such things are happenings so openly since years under their nose? If this doesnt come under her jurisdiction Then ask your Govt make sure to ban these practices in Islamic Republic of Pakistan instead of creating another stunt on the internet
ReplyDeleteIf this is the responsibility of the Police then why such things are
ReplyDeletehappening so openly since years under their nose? If this doesnt come
under her jurisdiction Then ask your Govt make sure to ban these
practices in Islamic Republic of Pakistan instead of creating another
stunt on the internet
Good speech Miss. Rabia.. If u r muslim this's our duty to stop the wrong thing going around us.. if we stay silent we'll participating with the same sin... think about it .. if u r muslim..
ReplyDeleteIf you're favoring these kind of things as per your sentence ".we dnt know what the problems those girls facing" so we also don't know what problems facing by the mobile snatchers, thieves n robbers as well.. they all r doing sin for any bad or worst reason ..
ReplyDeleteBull-shit nothing more then that for Doc. Maria. Our media needs Another Musharaf. Media needs DANDA.
ReplyDeleteAnswers:
ReplyDelete1. Being a journalist, as it can't be named as a raid. If you call it a raid then there will be nothing left for journalists
2. Apparently this place was not a house, so this question is irrelevant.
3. Cameras shoot many people who are not willing to be shot, don't believe me, then start watching TV
There is nothing special in the questions and it is the responsibility of the media to show whatever is hidden or else how would they expose corruption.
Tell me which corrupt person likes to be shot for television?
Which place where there is corruption likes unexpected journalists?
You will get the answers.
I think you all are missing the point and are being fooled by this so called presenter. As I see it, at the begining of any programme she has her own agenda and throughout the programme she tries to prove whatever BIG STORY she 'thinks' she has 'uncovered'. In order to do this she presumes that everyone else is wrong and she is right and follows this with continuous accusations throughout the programme. She thinks she is the judge and the jury. Remember every one is innocent until proven guilty.
ReplyDeleteControversy makes good TV and sells more ads and thats what every channel aims to do, without have any ethics.
Let's ask Express TV how many times the discoveries in her programme have led to prosecution?
I posted something similar to this article, as a comment on the youtube video. I personally thought it was quite obnoxious and disgusting, the way this woman conducted the program. Regardless of what was happening there (which is quick sickening on its own merit) she does not have any right whatsoever to do this.
ReplyDelete@disqus_OmSEvEayJT:disqus: It could be the responsibility of the police or the neighbors there or DHA police but certainly not a crazy woman with a camera crew behind her.
Islam most certainly does not teach you to publicly humiliate people !!
Oh so you have it all figured out what it means to be a Muslim right? I doubt Maria Khan is concerned with upholding Islam here. Shouldn't she have tried to stop it without such force first instead of a lurid, rating-hungry public show. "If u r muslim this's our duty to stop the wrong thing going around us" believe me genius, this is exactly the kind of thinking extremists, who are ravaging half your country, have.
ReplyDeleteMiss Rabia its your job to protect the grace and dignity of a women why don't women of Pakistan help such helpless women. Do u remember how may rupees u had wasted for the name of fashion and style if u do then calculate yearly extravagant then multiply with 64% women of Pakistan. Maria is doing his job i support her this act owner of that parlor must b arrested
ReplyDeletei dont think it is right that maria did these raids...it is the job of the police...however, i do think when massage parlors are operating as brothels...there needs to be an end to it...the women here are not the culprits, but rather the victims themselves...arrest the bastards that seek the services....do not harass the victims further..i don't think the maya khan and maria incidents are one and the same...maya invaded personal space of people...this is an illegal activity going on, which the police has a responsibility to keep an eye on, not maria
ReplyDeleteJust protesting and getting these women banned for a few weeks only come back with a bigger salary won't do any good. they hit below the belt, the should get hit below the belt too. something much greater than this needs to be done against such anchorpersons who sabotage people like that. when the government is already fucking the life of a normal man, who gives them the right to do so? "to each their own" and "live and let live" are the two things people should follow. what i want to say is, these bloody bitches need to be given more than just a month off, they need to be taught some lesson much intense than a trip to malaysia.
ReplyDeleteand to all those who are saying"MashaAllah, our sister did a great job!" yyyeaaahhhh remember "dosron k aibon per parda dalo, Allah tumharay aibon per perda dalay ga?" thats all.
Grace and Dignity of a women? excuse me? was your precious miss Maria khan respecting the leftovers of grace or dignity in the women who were in that parlor? uhhh NO!And people who like to see these so called journalists raiding places like that are just cruel. They like to see other people in misery. I am not against these raids, but who gives them the right to do that at a public medium? Do it undercover and raid the entire lahore if you want. but there is no need to show it to the bloody world.
ReplyDeleteOh and Not every body is given equal standards of life alright? if Miss Rabia can afford to spend 15 bloody thousand rupees on something as simple as kajal she very damn well has the right to do so as it is her money. therefore the amount of money any women spends on herself is of no one's concern.
one maria khan cannot stop this culture. this chinese lady will be back in business in a few weeks time.. maybe at a new location..
ReplyDeleteI don't think the police or Maria had a search warrant to conduct the raid, we never saw one during the course of the program. Isn't there a law that prohibits the police to bring in media representatives into a raid? Surely there must be a provision in the Geneva convention that restricts authority of the law enforcement to leak information about an ongoing investigation, a raid qualifying as one by all canons of law.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I'm kinda taken aback at the plight of the family which was so brutally exposed. The father's offense is an intolerable one and falls under human trafficking. Balanced police work demands that both Maria and the father of the girl should fall under the same law and be tried for their respected offenses.
That's even more important:)
ReplyDeleteHYPOCRISY !! not by maria khan but by the most of the people here. if this maria khan would have raided zardari's,nawaz shareef's or imran khan's (or their party members) houses or illegal business points, this would get media hype and ur support in matter of hours and she would be a legend in front of us all, and even the so called supreme court would be taking the suo motu action ...
ReplyDeleteBut now when she's pointing out real life evils u all are against her without no reason. yes maya khan accepted her blunder by telling they were paid actors, but didnt so wait for the whole thing.. atleast she's better than us by acting upon a Hadith that she's stopping an evil with her hands ..
now dont think im maria khan or on of her friends!! i've heard her name for the first time today.. we need lot more maria khans becoz our police is of no use.
This is what Muslims are doing in Saudi Arabia.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201323223618362435.html#.URBszVZPCfs.facebook
Of course in your eyes what Maria Zulfiqar did is extremely Islamic.
samajh nahi ata k har bat pe ham islam ko beech mai q ghaseet latey hain? ap ko kis ne tableegh ka haq dia hai? or agar ap rasool ban hi gaye hain to ye batayen k kia kabhi Hazrat Mohammad (pbuh) ne is tarhan kisi ki tazleel ki? is tarhan kisi pe sar-e-aam tohmat lagayi? asal islam mai is tarhan kisi k ghar baghair ijazat ghusna gunah hai. kia kabhi ap ne parha k Nabi (pbuh) is tarhan kisi k ghar mai dakhil hue hon? kese ap in mohtarma ki behooda harkaat ko defend kar sakte hain? agar inhe maashray ko behter banane ka itna hi shoq araha tha to khamoshi se police ko inform kar deti. is tarhan baghair itila diye, baghair ijazat k us ghar mai (q k article mai ghar hi likha hai) ghusney ki kia zarurat thi? mai khud media se hun or is tarhan ki harkaat media ethics k bilkul khilaaf hain. ye sirf sasti shohrat hasil karne k tareeqe hain. kia ap ko lagta hain k ye mohtarma bohat naik parveen hain? ham sab gunah gar hain or islam ko sarbuland karne k liye sab se pehle hamain khud ko theek karna chahiye na k dusron ko is tarhan zaleel karain. awaaz uthane mai or sar-e-aam tazleel karne mai farq hota hai. and like salar said, this stunt had nothing to do with upholding islam.
ReplyDeleteGood job. Sharing it on the Citizens for Free and Responsible Media fb page. Please do join us there.
ReplyDeletewho the hell are you to tell us what is right or wrong? If your are muslim and have a problem with all this then make sure your family dosent do it. But dont you dare try and control the speech and actions of others under the pretense of Islam.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me?This is faulty logic. Snatching mobile phones is invading another persons privacy, and physical space, and their property. Prostitution, or whatever the hell these women may or may not be doing is NOT that. Learn to differentiate the problems before you puke out ridiculous shit
ReplyDeleteWhy all of these Khans have a problem. Who have made them Islamic Thaikaidaars.??. Throw them out of Sindh and Punjab these Fake Khans majority of them are migrants from UP India so that they could play Shariat Shariat in India. The migrants living in Lahore thinks they are Islamic thaikaidaars while local Punjabis hate these Hijab Khan brigades invading us.
ReplyDeleteshe was so rude who give her authority to interrogate ?media job is to show not to do interrogation and give judgement it police and courts shame on her media job is just to show highlight the crime and she could not prove anything
ReplyDeleteu r right. she is doing wrong. u should do story on 'target' on aaj-which has same pattern.
ReplyDeletewhen our ppl hav cant convince sum1 they start this rhetoric 'if u r muslim' 'if u r muslim' .BS
ReplyDeleteexactly what i wanted to say ! I wonder why do they stay SILENT on the bloodwar waged all around them - sighs in disgust
ReplyDeleteThe term "Khudai Faujdar" was coined for a reason, aap ko Allah ne wohi bana kar is duniya main nahi bheja so please dont slap it in our faces. You have no right to humiliate anyone wrong or right. I wonder of you dont enjoy *Free Media* at its worst in your seclusion duh
ReplyDeleteYou should start a charity and donate your wealth to it, you have no right to suggest that to anyone else forgodsake. much less to DEMAND. Maria is a disgrace to the name of journalism. This may well be an act to promote her ill graced name in Pakistani media. Kyoun kay yahan mazhab kay naam par sab bikta hai magar insaniyat ka naam koi le hi na *represses her frustration*
ReplyDeleteLook Jahanzaib, the stance of you saying that evil should be stopped is valid but hey lets look at the facts here,
ReplyDeleteNational Geographic is what, one of the largest and most respected news network in the world, it does all its programs openly citing everything, but whenever it runs a SEX CRIME story, it always blurs the images of the girls interviewed. They never *PUBLICALY HUMILATE* them by raiding and harrassing them. Rather, they make documentaries *names/faces undisclosed* and raise awareness.
What Maria did was a stunt, if she was so concerned, she should have raised more deteriorating issues on screen, Child Abuse, Drug Abuse in young kids, Molestation Awareness, Uncovering politician corruption but no, they can be LIFE THREATENING and non rewarding if done honestly. Whereas these girls were powerless in thier defense.
Maria is a black mark on journalism, cannot be justified at all !
I think at present time when police is lacking good no. of police officers to interfere with people personal lives anchor person should be given part time role of police inspector. It will help to raise their wages as well as we get high quality media/police persons with the same face. There will be thrill in the society ,that what our people like in Pakistan. Breaching confidentiality of anyone is a crime in any civilized society either they are call girls or they belong to any other walk of life. These girls should go to court and take legal action with high compensations.
ReplyDeleteDude, there are lot of other illegal activities going on. The Massage parlour sting is done because it has no danger and it is sex-oriented.Why not maria do an expose on high-rate call-girls racket which goes to influentials, i.e. bussinessmen, judges, army-men, politicians etc.? or do you think these people are the Highest-moral authority in pakistan?Wake up and accept the truth. Torturing helpless women is a cowards act.If these maria and maya khan's have guts, they would try to expose some real thing like real-state frauds, fake drugs, fake milk,etc. But it has dangers from the higher-ups involved. This is sheer hypocrisy and trying to make self-career on the lives of some poor and already condemned girls. After this episode....Maria khan ki roti khoon se sani hai....Ooper wala sab dekh raha hai ki kis ke dil me kitni safai hai....
ReplyDeleteSister, Have you even watched that show? Or did you just read this article that highlights only a few sentences and suddenly decided to be Miss macho? You don't even know what you are defending, so please first get your facts straight. The faces of local girls working at that sex center were actually blurred, so faces/names were kept secret.. As for the foreigners, they should be exposed.. I don't know whether or not she did it as a publicity stunt and yeah she did make mistakes, but overall she did a good job. It was a sex center run by Chinese lady and there were some other chinese and russian ladies working there as prostitutes. This article suggests "maria khan accused it of being a sex center", but doesn't mention the fact that bottles of wines, syringes, unregistered sex drugs, pregnancy test kits and a few condoms here and there and a whole box of Sathi condoms was recovered from that place.....
ReplyDeleteYou are saying she should have covered child abuse. I hang around with guys. I know many under aged guys who were previously stuck with masturbation and porn, have started going to such filthy places because access to such places is becoming easier day by day. So doesn't this qualify as exposing child abuse? It does if you see it in a way.... You talk about corruption. These things are not possible without the help of corrupt authorities. If you see that show, moments after she raided that place, a drug control officer comes in to defend it and take care of the situation. Then that chinese woman calls someone to bring her visa, who claims to be a high court advocate. So doesn't that qualify as exposing corruption and raising awareness against these corrupt authorities so people can vote for the right candidate who can fix these things? it does in a way... Everything is linked. I am not digging up these things. The problem is that people like you cannot focus on the bright side of things and are too focused on the dark side.... yeah more has to be done and there are issues that deserve more attention then this, whats going on with this ummah in syria, bangladesh, palestine is far more important. But, please do appreciate what has already been done... Agar 100% progress nahin hai to is ka matlab yeh nai k aap 50% progress ko bhi appreciate na karein. Agar koi fajr ki namaz nahin parhta toe iska matlab ye nahin k woh zohar ki bhi na parhy.....
And please don't talk about National Geographic. It represents a completely different society. Things that are considered only nominal in one society may carry weight in the other. And it is a completely different platform. You are comparing apples with oranges. And by the way, they do try to humiliate Muslims in their documentaries as much as they can and do a good job in defending the real terrorists i.e. americans. Yes I am talking about National Geographic here.