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MNA Shazia Marri corrected Kashif Abbasi for trivialising harassment on national television

MNA Shazia Marri corrected Kashif Abbasi for trivialising harassment on national television

Some of these anchors need to take a page out of Shahzeb Khanzada's playbook...
28 May, 2019

Another day, another ignorant statement made by a prominent talk show host.

ARY's Kashif Abbasi recently had former Governor Sindh, Mohammad Zubair and MNAs Andleeb Abbas and Shazia Marri on his show to discuss the NAB controversy that unfolded a few days ago when some footage and a few audio clips were first aired by News One in which a male can be heard talking to a woman, and making inappropriate remarks at various points; the channel linked the male voice with the NAB chairman, Javed Iqbal.

NAB had denied that the audio clips had anything to do with its chairman, branding them "baseless, fake and based on lies".

During the discussion, Shazia Marri pointed out that the incident needs to be investigated and could constitute as harassment to which Abbasi responded that it seems consensual: "*Aap auraton ke liye bohot asaan hai shor daalna: harassment! harassment! harassment!” (It's very easy for you women to cause a ruckus claiming harassment).

Thankfully, Marri was quick to correct him: "Shor nahi daaltay hum harassment ka, harassment hoti hai (We don't just make a commotion about harassment, harassment actually happens). For God's sake, I thought you're a sensitised man but I'm having my doubts today."

Abbasi still didn't get it and said, "You women always play the victim card."

"We play the 'victim card' because we are victimised. To be very honest, we're living in a society, in fact a world, where women are more vulnerable [than men]," she added.

We're so glad Shazia schooled him on his grossly misinformed views about harassment. We're in the post #MeToo era and things need to change. We don't need hosts on national television dismissing harassment and mocking survivors of abuse. Some of these anchors really need to take a page out of Shahzeb Khanzada's playbook, who's on the right side of history.

Comments

Bert and Ernie May 28, 2019 02:46pm
Some of these anchors need a good bashing.
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Parvez May 28, 2019 02:52pm
Full marks to Shazia Mari for taking a stand and pointing out what was decidedly wrong......and better sense would have been expected frm Mr. Kashif Abbassi.
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Scary May 28, 2019 02:55pm
I watched the show and I was horrified at the way he went after Shazia. But then for me he does this with most of his guests. He is an arrogant and rude person by nature. One of the reason why our country will never progress is because anchors like Kashif Abbasi sit on their chair each night and insult their guests left right and center. They come with that attitude that tonight I am going to pick on PML-N or PPP. You will very seldom find him attacking PTI. He gets furious if anyone attacks them. Really Pakistan viewers should turn away from these male chauvinist, impertinent and rude anchors.
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