Female infanticide literally refers to the deliberate killing of female babies at the time of their birth. A number of newborn female babies have unfortunately been a victim of this brutal practice in the past, in Pakistan. The practice continues to this day, given our immensely patriarchal society. Parents, in general, prefer their boys over their daughters and the idea of ‘beti tou paraya dhan hoti hai‘ is so deeply entrenched in the society.

In 2013, almost 1300 female baby corpses were buried by the Edhi Foundation.

In the same year, 56 Pakistani women were murdered in cold blood for giving birth to baby girls.

The situation is no better today.

Shahroz Hyder, a film-making student at NCA, took it upon himself to address the issue that many think is not something as widely prevalent in Pakistan as it actually is.  

“I’m a visual artist precisely a film-maker & photographer and I am currently based in Lahore. Two years ago I moved from Karachi to Lahore to pursue a degree in film making from NCA, I transformed into a better version of myself not only professionally but also in terms of character and personality,” told Sharoz while talking to MangoBaaz.

Shahroz created a photo series called ‘stelliferous’ – belonging to the stars – in order to spread awareness about female infanticide. 

“I know it’s hard to break a taboo which has been there since the beginning of times but at least we can try taking baby steps towards breaking down the stereotypes. A daughter is the greatest gift God can send your way and when you don’t value the greatest gift slowly and gradually the blessings in your life start to lose their value. If you think sons will be the bread winners of the family and share your burden in old age, think again. A daughter can do the same if given an opportunity.

In today’s society when we compare the achievements of girls and boys, it’s just mind boggling to see that girls are doing equally good as guys are doing in all walks of life. They are astronauts, they are pilots, they conquer mountains, they aspire to go beyond the horizon and alongside all this they’re also managing the domestic side of life pretty well.” opines Shahroz.

“Imagine of Sharmeen Obaid’s parents thought the same way would we have an Oscar winner in our country?”

“If Malala’s parents were lime all these stone-hearted murderers, would we have a Nobel prize?”

“If Mehreen Jabbar’s parents considered daughters a burden wouldn’t the society be deprived of an amazing director?”

“If Muniba Mazari’s parents confined her within limits would we ever live to see such a charismatic and influential woman?

I think not.”

So it’s all about how you perceive the subject. It’s very easy to shun someone by declaring them useless but it’s equally difficult to accept them with their flaws and watch them turn into their best version,” says Shahroz.

“Nowadays a lot of people tend to think that a photographer’s life is all about partying, people with such a notion clearly don’t have the foggiest idea what it entails to become a part of this league.”

“As a photographer, I’ve never sought competition with my peers but myself. I’ve always wanted to excel at what I do and my only struggle is to strive to be a better person than today in every sense of the word,” told Shahroz.

Here’s a glimpse into some of the artistic images from Shahroz’s series:

If you’re looking to connect with Shahroz, you can find him on his Instagram, over here.