Pakistan: CFWIJ Stands In Solidarity With Gharidah Farooqi Against Targeted Online Attacks

Location: Pakistan
Date: September 13, 2021

Gharidah Farooqi, a prominent TV host, was attacked by an organized troll campaign. Trolls bullied her using edited clips from a particular program segment. Gharidah appeared as a guest in the program “HUM Meher Bokhari Kay Sath” where she discussed the cultural stereotypes incorporated in the Single National Curriculum (SNC). She discussed that social issues must not be looked at through a religious lens as policing young minds may distort their understanding of a social construct. Gharidah’s remarks were denounced by Dr. Shehbaz Gill, a representative to the Prime Minister. He angrily pointed out that some liberals in Pakistan propagate fake news under Western influence. The CFWIJ condemns Mr. Gill’s disrespectful remarks. This incident is not the first time he targeted a woman journalist for speaking her mind. We urge Mr. Gill retract his words and issue an apology.

Gharidah argued that women teachers must not be policed on what to wear in the workplace, debating that the state should not dictate dress code. She emphasized the state keeps mixing social and cultural values with religion. According to Gharidah, the government has already done so in SNC textbooks, directly influencing young minds. She argued that a woman’s attire should not affect her social perception. She said if kids only see women in hijabs, they might consider those in Western clothing unfit for society.

Dr. Shehbaz Gill, a government representative, mocked the journalist on-air. In response to her argument, he retorted, “You start wearing short clothes, I will support you. No matter how short you want to wear.” He said the social circles influenced by Western culture do not want to follow the concepts of Islam. According to Dr. Gill, these people are culturally enslaved and want others to follow. 

A few clips of the segment were later shared by government supporters. The clips were purposefully misleading, edited to suit their narrative. The CFWIJ has observed this pattern in many recent cases of press freedom violations. A heavily edited clip is often deliberately shared to stir online hate and bullying against journalists.

ریاست اور حکومت کا فوکس تعلیمی اداروں میں معیارِتعلیم پرہوناچاہیے نہ کہ اساتذہ اورخواتین کےلباس پر۔ مغرب نےترقی اپنے تعلیمی اداروں میں معیارِتعلیم سےکی ہے؛ لباس کیmoral policingسےنہیں!
لیکنFAKE MEDIA CELL, گوئبلز کی باقیات اور چند طبلچی آپ کو محض توڑمروڑکر پراپیگنڈہ دکھائیں گے۔ pic.twitter.com/bJcxDtBwj7

— Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) September 11, 2021

While speaking to the CFWIJ, Gharidah shared, "Such attacks were known to me as I’ve been a constant target of PTI officials, media cell and paid trolls since 2014, but the intensity has magnified not just for me but for women journalists as a whole in Pakistan since 2018. Dissenting and critical voices are forcefully and tactfully tried to shut down employing the latest techniques of cyber warfare,” she said. “Since 2014, I’ve approached all relevant forums to launch complaints against online attacks on me, but even after seven years, my complaints still lie in the cold corners of these forums. The involvement of government officials in attacks against women journalists is a highly alarming and dangerous situation leaving female journalists vulnerable and helpless to find help for their safety and security,” Garidah revealed.

Understandably, women journalists feel threatened in a country ranked the sixth most dangerous in the Global Press Freedom Index. Since the present government came into power in 2018, the attacks against women journalists have increased. Unfortunately, it has become a trend to target independent journalists and question their integrity. The general observation tells us that most troll campaigns are often backed by government officials. Women journalists collectively spoke out against this organized online harassment last year, and it did garner some attention on TV and social media. They presented their testimonies and demands before the human rights committee, but no concrete steps have been taken so far. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Gharidah. This is not the first instance she suffered online harassment. She faced despicable online attacks last year as she discussed rape culture and violence against women in her program. She also dealt with a cyber-attack on her Twitter account on March 5. The CFWIJ stands in solidarity with Gharidah in the face of such attacks. We demand Mr. Gill retract his statement and issue an apology. 

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.