Can we not demonize unmarried Pakistani women more than they already are? Thanks. 

Everyone knows Pakistani television channels are rampant with misogynistic content. Whether it’s a drama serial normalizing emotional and physical violence towards women or morning show hosts discussing absurd things like how dark skinned women aren’t attractive.

We already know the pathetic state of shows in Pakistan where social faux pas like color shaming are rampant

Recent comments made on air by host Aftab Iqbal may not sound extraordinary at first but it’s causing a lot of ruckus online

On his show Khabarzaar there was a skit which portrayed a brother lamenting on his sister being taken over by Djinns and acting irrationally.

The sister is sitting next to the brother looking embarrassed. I still don’t understand if the skit was supposed to be funny or serious. My confusion comes from the fact that the premise of the show is supposed to be comedic in nature; in this particular episode, the show decided to take on the serious topic of faith healer in the country and shine a light on them.

The message of the show was to depict that faith healers are a sham. The team performed a comedic routine and were routinely stopped in the middle as Aftab Iqbal and others made comments on the situations.

It's the year 2019, and @AAPNews's Aftab Iqbal is saying that marriage is a solution to mental disorders. Apparently, a 31 year old single woman is likely to develop "hysteria" because being single is unnatural. How can @reportpemra allow such blatant disinformation? pic.twitter.com/Gacbeh6uBM

— Imran Khan (@iopyne) April 13, 2019

And when the skit went to a situation of a brother lamenting about his sister’s weird behavior to the faith healer, Aftab Iqbal interjects and starts to cross-question him about his sister. He asks her how old his sister is and whether or not she is married.

The brother replies saying that she’s 31 and won’t let them get her married since she’s too focused on her career. And this is all it takes to set Aftab Iqbal off.

He talks about how the sister isn’t suffering from any supernatural presence taking control of her but is suffering from ‘hysteria’. And that hysteria is a given for women who are unmarried and of a certain age and this is exactly what happens when women focus on their careers and don’t get married; they stand in the way of nature.

Now for those who are unaware of what hysteria is, it’s basically a very outdated concept in Psychology. It basically implies that unmarried women who do not have a sexual outlet start to act irrationally because of it.

And while Aftab Iqbal probably wanted to sound smart by attributing irrational behavior of a woman to a psychological disorder rather than a supernatural being, he probably didn’t realize that hysteria has not been recognized as an actual medical or mental condition for decades.

Of course, people were pissed that Aftab Iqbal was propagating such an idiotic stereotype about unmarried professional Pakistani women

Well! Aftab Iqbal is married , and clearly that didn’t improve his mental health … https://t.co/OwRmtbiJIP

— Umaima (@umaimasohaib) April 15, 2019

Aftab Iqbal's mockery of mental health and his demonising of career oriented women personifies everything that is wrong with pakistani talkshows. The privilege to reach out to millions of ppl comes with a higher responsibility. Such blatant misuse of a forum to spread his

— Zed. (@Tokenbrowndude) April 15, 2019

waise this aftab iqbal fuck saying marriage cures mental illness is every desi uncle.

— Anyways here is wonderwall dingdingding didididing (@badukulelecover) April 15, 2019

What do you think about Aftab Iqbal’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.

Dear PEMRA, Ban This Pakistani News Anchor Manipulating A Child Over Her Dead Father Instead Of Dramas About “Feminism”

PEMRA Just Issued A Weird Order About Pakistani Dramas Being Too Bold And Everyone’s Flipping Out

Cover Image Via: GupShup With Aftab Iqbal / YouTube