Jawad Ahmad and Rohail Hayat engaged in a heated debate on Twitter to find out whether PM Imran Khan’s comments on rape were appropriate or not. Coke Studio’s founder Rohail Hayat has been heavily criticized for defending Khan, who is being called ‘Rape Apologist’ by the citizens. They bashed Khan for blaming the victim for wearing exposed clothes rather than condemning men who conveniently escape accountability after violating the victim’s consent. Rape victims in Pakistan are mostly women but include children, animals, and corpses too.
Jawad Ahmad and Rohail Hayat Argue on How to Dress in Pakistan
Besides many Pakistanis, the singer turned politician Jawad Ahmad also schooled Hayat on the issues that are deeply rooted within Pakistan. A few days ago, Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith also called him out for ignoring those issues. However, Rohail defended the premier’s point by saying it was taken out of context. He tried to clarify that Khan had condemned rape and promoted modesty as the way to avoid it.
His defense of PM’s absurd remarks over rape made many furious. Then he claimed that he would also advise his child, in the same way, to be vigilant on how to dress in Pakistani society. He added that it would be out of the care for that person rather than giving more power to the sick people.
He called him stupid for believing that modest dressing would make any difference to the sick men who just want to abuse their power, vested in them by patriarchy. Ahmad questioned Rohail that what kind of clothes would he label as modest and what he would disapprove.
The cases like a 29-month-old baby getting raped and murdered also begged the same question of whether the clothes of the victim matter for the rape to happen. Jawad Ahmad and Rohail Hayat did not stop here as there were many questions left unanswered.
Does the Balance Exist in Pakistani Society?
Rohail did not answer Ahmad’s question but accused him of not acknowledging the balance of the universe. Ahmad argued that despite this balance, people still create their own balances that suit their lifestyle. He said Rohail was being hypocritical because even rightists and leftists portrayed themselves as centrists while having biased opinions. Furthermore, Jawad added that Rohail was just using fancy words to sound cool rather than smart.
Rohail agreed that no one could actually know if they were balanced individuals or not. Most people in Pakistan operate on judgments rather than reasoning. Rohail said that if someone had a problem of chronic judgment then they were not balanced, no matter how comfortable they felt with their position. Jawad still called him a hypocrite because it was a man’s choice to pick his position. Even if a woman has appeared naked in front of a man, he has a choice to disregard that instead of taking advantage.
The animosity between Jawad Ahmad and Rohail Hayat continued to get bitter as both of them started passing judgmental remarks to each other.
Educating the Under Privileged Masses
Rohail Hayat questioned why Jawad Ahmad hated hypocrites as people often hated in others what was present inside them. Jawad explained that it was important for him to speak out because the discussion was regarding a key issue in Pakistan and it was misleading.
Many people have a wrong perception about the causes of rape because influential people often give biased remarks to remain in limelight. Such a thought process can instill an idea that women who wear immodest dresses are not modest themselves. Jawad wanted to eliminate this misconception by enlightening 90% population of Pakistan that was living in poverty and illiteracy.
The argument between Jawad Ahmad and Rohail Hayat showed that many publicly respected men had inaccurate views about the causes of rape. Previously, Maulana Tariq Jameel was criticized harshly for blaming women’s clothes for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accusation of Scoring Political Points
After Ahmad described his political ambitions, Rohail accused him of using rape as a tool to gain attention and sympathizers. Jawad countered Rohail by reminding him that he started the discussion by defending the problematic views of Imran Khan. He said he found it essential to call him out for the sake of women, children, men who cannot defend themselves, and transgenders. Its because rape was not a trivial matter for him as it was for Rohail Hayat and Imran Khan.
Jawad also gave Rohail a shut-up call when he said Jawad Ahmad was doing some kind of Jihad. Ahmad clarified that it was not Jihad but merely his right to speak about everything wrong with society. He particularly mentioned poverty, inequality, harassment, and rape as the most sensitive issue of Pakistan. The public feels immense pain when someone shows insensitivity towards these issues.
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