RAWALPINDI: In what is being widely called a landmark ruling, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority this week ordered a news channel to apologize and pay a fine for an interview it broadcast in which “insensitive, demeaning, derogatory, hateful” remarks were made against woman cricketer Nida Dar, the first Pakistani to take 100 wickets in T20 International cricket.
In a video clip from a show broadcast in June on Neo News, former Pakistani cricketer Abdul Razzaq said women players, in striving to be equal or even better than their male colleagues, gave up on the idea of getting married, saying about Dar: “If you shake her hands, you won’t even feel she’s a girl.” One of the host comedians also joked that the cricketer seemed to be “allergic” to the notion of marriage.
Pakistani tennis star Aisam ul Haq Qureshi filed a complaint with PEMRA for what the petition called blatant misogyny and distasteful language.
“The council is of the unanimous vote that the remarks/comments passed by Mr. Abdul Razzaq and others are insensitive, demeaning, derogatory, hateful,” PEMRA said in a ruling, ordering that New News pay a fine of PKR 200,000, and air an unconditional apology not only to Dar but to women in general.
Most strikingly, the Council of Compliance (COC) said the channel could no longer invite guests on its shows who had “a history of making insensitive remarks toward women.”
The viral interview and backlash against Razzaq led him to put out a tweet saying he had “utmost respect for all women, especially our women cricketers, who have made great strides in our sport.”
“Although these comments were made in a lighted-hearted way and not to offend anyone, on reflection the choice of words and their presentation was poor and wrong. I have subsequently called Nida Dar and clarified my position.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board declined to comment on the PEMRA ruling.
Former PEMRA chairman Absar Alam said the ruling was “the right move.”
“These remarks are disgusting and unfortunate, more disturbing since the program was recorded but no one within the organization edited the derogatory remarks,” he told Arab News.
Digital and women rights activist Nighat Dad said the order would force channels to think twice before airing such comment.
“I think that the judgment in this case by the COC is very strong in the sense that it enforces Article 26 of the constitution which talks about not discriminating against people based on their sex or gender orientation,” Dad told Arab News. “This order sets a very good precedent.”
She added:
“It sends out a very loud and clear message to mainstream media … Channels will have to be more ethical in what they show on their platforms — which means misogyny, sexism, and derogatory remarks won’t slide like they did before.”
