Pakistani drama breaks silence on blasphemy killings
An axe-wielding mob chases a terrified group; a daring Pakistani television drama has for the first time tackled the deeply sensitive issue of the dozens murdered for alleged blasphemy.
Islam is the official religion in Muslim-majority Pakistan, and accusations of insulting religious sentiments can easily incite mob violence.
Blasphemy is an incendiary charge, and the issue is rarely discussed by major media broadcasters due to security concerns.
But producer Sultana Siddiqui challenged that with an 11-part television drama, which has earned praise since it began airing in December for handling a taboo topic with sensitivity.
"This issue has not been raised before because of fear," Siddiqui, founder of the Hum Network media company, told AFP.
Her drama "Tan Man Neelo Neel", or "Bruises on Body and Soul", tells the stories of people in a small Pakistani town, and has generated millions of views and widespread praise on social media.
"I took the risk in a careful manner," she said. "That's why people appreciated it."
- 'Malicious disinformation' -
In the drama, the case of blasphemy centres around a character who falsely claims a dance performance takes place in a mosque, rather than the abandoned mansion it happened in.
That storyline of false allegations is an echo of reality.
Pakistan's independent Human Rights Commission, in a report last month, described the "impunity for perpetrators of hate and violence".
It detailed cases of people killed, and followers and places of worship of Pakistan's minority religions, including Christians and Hindus, being attacked over false claims.
"Law enforcement... have often failed to rescue blasphemy suspects from vigilante violence," the commission said.
"A careful examination of various blasphemy allegations shows that these are invariably based on fabrications, malicious disinformation and fake news."
Siddiqui said she was motivated by a 2017 case in the city of Mardan when a mob beat 23-year-old journalism student Mashal Khan to death after accusing him of posting blasphemous content online.
"I couldn't sleep after hearing Mashal's mother say that 'not a single bone in his body was left unbroken -- even his finger bones were fractured'," she said.
"I kept wondering: How brutally must they have beaten him?"
Mohammad Iqbal, the murdered student's father, said that the producer had chosen the "right topic" and had "honoured his son".
"We, those most affected, have rarely spoken about it publicly," he told AFP.
"At last, this conversation is happening on television".
- 'Raise awareness' -
Siddiqui said she had long wanted to address the issue and had been carefully collaborating with fellow directors and writers to address the subject matter appropriately.
"I, too, fear extremists who might not like me and could harm me," she said.
"However, I believe we should address these issues with them in a respectful manner."
Siddiqui said it was her "duty to educate people" and "raise awareness about crucial social issues" that impact society.
Pakistani dramas boast a massive viewership and their popularity serves as a powerful vehicle for social change.
A Gallup survey conducted in October 2023 suggested that two-fifths of the country watch dramas.
"We should have spoken about such issues much earlier," said Mustafa Afridi, the writer of the show.
"If we had, perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation today, perhaps our children wouldn't be dying."
- 'Viral critique' -
Pakistan's media industry has been wary of the topic -- and fallen foul in the past of accusations of creating blasphemous content.
The release of the 2019 award-winning film "Zindagi Tamasha", or "Circus of Life", was halted after the Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) objected to its portrayal of a cleric they deemed "blasphemous".
In 2020, a music video shot at Lahore's Wazir Khan mosque sparked furious protests after singer Bilal Saeed was filmed dancing with actor Saba Qamar.
Police filed a case against them, and they apologised -- and were eventually acquitted two years later.
Arafat Mazhar, the director of the Alliance Against Blasphemy Politics group, said Siddiqui's show had "sparked a viral critique of blasphemy-related mob violence".
He called the reaction "unprecedented".
"It wasn't just that people were watching a drama about mob violence -- it was that the conversation centred on mob violence at such a large scale for the first time," he told AFP.
"The battle against blasphemy violence is not just about speaking out against mob killings. It is about challenging the structures that create and sustain them".
zz/pjm/sco
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far' Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, says he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president (Kevin Dietsch) (Kevin Dietsch/GETTY IMAGESvia AFP) Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X, in a message that was received favorably by the White House. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. ADVERTISEMENT Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." But after Musk's expression of regret, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was "appreciative," adding that "no efforts" had been made on a threat by Trump to end some of Musk's government contracts. "The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it," Leavitt said. ADVERTISEMENT According to the New York Times, Musk's message followed a phone call to Trump late on Monday night. Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susan Wiles had also been working with Musk on how to broker a truce with Trump, the report said. - 'Wish him well' - In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days, with Musk describing the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. ADVERTISEMENT Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both already appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking. bur-arp/aha
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump won't allow 'mob rule in America,' White House says
The White House said Wednesday President Donald Trump would not allow "mob rule" after protests against his immigration policies spread across the United States despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also attacked the Democratic governor of California and mayor of Los Angeles, claiming they had "fanned the flames" of the clashes. "President Trump will never allow mob rule to prevail in America," Leavitt told a briefing at the White House, backed by television screens showing images of burning vehicles and masked rioters. "The most basic duty of government is to preserve law and order, and this administration embraces that sacred responsibility." Leavitt's comments echoed Trump's in a speech at the Fort Bragg military base on Tuesday, in which he vowed to "liberate" Los Angeles and branded the protesters "animals." Trump is in conflict with California authorities who have accused the Republican president of being "dictatorial" and seeking political gain by sending in thousands of troops to break up the protests, which have largely been peaceful. Pockets of violence -- including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling of stones at police -- have triggered a massive response from authorities, who have used tear gas and other less-lethal weapons. "Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens," Leavitt responded, accusing Newsom of having "fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers." The protests erupted last week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers carried out a series of raids in Los Angeles to back up Trump's hardline immigration policies. Trump has also called the protesters "paid insurrectionists" -- alleging that some of them had professional anti-riot equipment -- but the White House did not say who it believed was paying them. "It's a good question the president is raising, and one we are looking into, about who is funding these insurrectionists," Leavitt said when asked by AFP about the president's comments. dk/aha
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stephen Miller: 'Trump's brain' behind migration crackdown
For Stephen Miller, the architect of US President Donald Trump's hardline migration policy, the protests in Los Angeles were nothing less than the front line of a "fight to save civilization itself." Hyper-loyalist Miller, 39, has carved out a niche as Trump's most powerful and hawkish advisor on the Republican's signature issue of immigration. A combative presence on the White House driveway, Miller is frequently rolled out in public to double down on the president's comments in front of the cameras and frequently spars with reporters. But the sharp-suited advisor's comments on Los Angeles -- which echo hard-right talking points about the decline of the West as it faces an "invasion" of migrants -- underscored that the topic is not just political for him, but existential. His fingerprints have been all over the White House's unprecedented assertion of its right to use presidential power to pursue its agenda, often using centuries-old or rarely cited laws to deport migrants. And Miller, who is formally Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, is at the sharp end of things too. - 'Ruins of the West' - It was Miller who, according to the Wall Street Journal, issued US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with orders in May to step up its work after the number of daily deportations under Trump fell below those carried out by Joe Biden's administration last year. Those orders led to the immigration raids on a Home Depot in Los Angeles that triggered clashes between protesters and federal agents -- and Trump's decision to send in thousands of troops. Miller, who grew up in LA's Santa Monica, has since taken to social media to battle Democrats who accuse Trump of authoritarianism. "We've been saying for years this is a fight to save civilization. Anyone with eyes can see that now," Miller said on X on Sunday. A few days earlier he set out his right-wing worldview more explicitly as he pushed for Trump's new "big, beautiful" spending bill, which contains provisions for migration. "We will be debating these matters over the ruins of the West if we don't control migration," he wrote on June 4. Critics say such comments echo the far-right "replacement theory" about migration undermining Western society. Indeed, during Trump's first term, Miller's hardline stance made him something of an outlier. As a young firebrand, Miller was one of the architects of the so-called "Muslim travel bans" in Trump's first presidency, which later ran into legal difficulties after they were poorly drafted. Miller largely avoided the chaotic feuding that engulfed Trump's first White House, resulting in somewhat more moderate voices winning out on immigration policies. Miller, however, remained loyal, and stuck by his boss even as Trump's first term ended in the disgrace of the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. - Musk blip - In the second Trump administration, Miller's views have become mainstream. "I call Stephen 'Trump's brain,'" Republican former House speaker Kevin McCarthy told the New York Times just before Trump's inauguration in January. Miller was the driving force in particular behind the use of an obscure 200-year-old wartime law to deport undocumented migrants -- and a vocal defender when that crackdown saw a man wrongly deported to El Salvador. He also outraged Democrats when he said on May 9 that the White House was "looking into" suspending habeas corpus, which would prevent migrants targeted for mass deportations to appeal for their right to appear in court. Miller recently claimed a media scalp when broadcaster ABC dropped a veteran correspondent, Terry Moran, who described the Trump aide as a "world-class hater" in a late-night social media screed. One blip, however, came when Miller and his wife Katie found themselves caught up in the explosive split between Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk. Katie Miller had been a senior advisor and spokeswoman in Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) -- and was reportedly set to leave and work for Musk's companies when he departed the White House. But the couple now find themselves, professionally speaking, on opposite sides of the break-up between the world's richest person and its most powerful. dk/jgc