PAKISTAN’S TOP STORY Thesis Docu Drama

Abstract

“Pakistan’s Top Story” is a __ minutes long docudrama focusing on major child abuse scandal that took place in a village called Hussain Khanwala, in the Kasur region of Pakistan. The docudrama shows the initial role of media in giving the issue huge attention but later failing to give a proper follow up. The video includes interviews from major bodies related to this incident which include people from media, Sahil NGO, legislative department and the affected community (local activists and victims). The docudrama also contains reenactments that go with the narrations in order to offer a better understanding of the topic at hand. The knowledge of the incident shook the entire nation when it was made public that a group of 20-25 people were caught in Hussain Khanwala, who allegedly filmed almost 400 video clips and raped young children and blackmailed their parents for money. The incident got attention on all fronts, i.e. national and international media, government, NGOs, department of Law and Justice and Political. But before reaching a decisive, justified point of resolution, the story faded away. Local activists and few locals had been trying to bring the issue to attention in order to end it but it only gained major attention when media took it up. Hence media is majorly considered to own the credit of pointing out this otherwise ignored ill of the country. However the follow-up on the issue has been very poor on media’s part. The issue at this point is in a stalemate stage and requires attention by people, government and other justice departments. The docudrama follows the chronological order of how the incident actually came to main stream media. It starts with reenactment, where the victim is shown running in the streets of a village, he tries to hide but his abuser grabs his face and stops him from raising his voice. After this, another reenactment sequence starts where the reporter who broke the Kasur story is shown tying the story for the first time. The third part is again a short reenactment of the victim trying to 7 plead to the police officer for help but the policer officer silences him unjustly. This is followed by the interview of Zain Ali, News Incharge (Waqt TV), who narrates how initially a protest in Kasur got the reporter to investigate the case deeper. There he met a local social activist, Mobeen Ghaznavi who has been already struggling to sort the issue. The interview has parts of reenactments being played over the narration, showing the protest anf then the reporter walking around the village. After this Mobeen Ghaznavi’s interview starts who telling about the history of the whole incident. He tells how the victim were afraid to raise voice against the culprits have strong political influence and criminal record. The interviews of Zain Ali and Ashraf Javed, reporter (The Nation), who broke the story, explain the accounts of how the reporter got to the video store and got his hands over the first evidence of the whole scandal. This again is supported by reenactments over some parts of interviews showing the reporters movement in the village. This leads to another reenactment where the victim is being forced into pornography. After this Zain Ali tells that after establishment of strong evidence, the story got on air and got hype in both print and electronic media, being covered by all major news channels and media firms. Manizeh Bano is Executive Director of the NGO Sahil, which played significant role in heling the Kasur incident. Bano in her interview tells how her NGO provided help and counselling to a group of victims. Chaudhary Latif Sra, Advocate Supreme Court, has given major legal services to the victim party and took the case forward for justice. He tells how the issue was taken up the government and JIT was formed but it brought no fruit as JIT was headed by a man who supported the culprits whose political strength worked in their favor. Mobeen Ghaznavi’s interview further supports the fact that victims are being suppressed by the treats of the opposing parties and no one is stopping it. This leads to the condition of the victims. Through the 8 interviews of Mobeen and one of the victims (not named to keep anonymity) tell the trauma through which the victims and their families have been through and how their social life is completely destroyed. These interviews contain parts of reenactments of the victim’s mental condition. The last part explains media’s poor follow up through interviews of Zain Ali and Saleem Bukhari, Editor (The Nation). They tell how media initially gives hype to some fresh news and then fails to give due follow up and the issue ultimately gets faded away without any solution. It gets replaced by new news worthy incidents and media is to be blamed for not performing its duty fully. The docudrama ends with the statement of Mobeen Ghaznavi when he gives the same opinion about media through an Urdu worse telling that the ignorance to this grave issue is more tragic than the incident itself.