Before I start talking about Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, I would like to state what I absolutely loved in this interview. Him being asked baseless, meaningless questions that do not contribute to the development of society in any way. It indicates that his public appearances have told people how groomed (not) he is. So instead of asking him about how can the narrative of TV dramas be impacted in the future, people ask him whether girls and boys can even be friends.
The previous hyped interview of Khalil ur Rehman
Now let’s come back to the issue at hand. I have been asked to cover a news piece about Khalil ur Rehman, a man who talks about women of today, not deserving respect, and yet is the most ill-groomed person you would have ever seen on the media. He talks about his interpretation of what Islam teaches and yet forgets… well, let’s not get into that considering how intolerant of a nation we are.
Image Source: phoneworldIn an interview last year, he lost composure and hurled obscenities at a fellow guest because he disagreed with her views. And so, he believed, it gave him the right to disrespect that woman. He was further angered by the fact that the women had been ‘allowed’ to march on the roads chanting a slogan that in his dictionary meant walking in the streets, naked. The slogan literally translated was ‘my body, my agency’. And it said that women wanted to put a stop to marital rape or harassment that happens to them both in public and private spheres.
The return of the writer
The same guy is back with more wisdom quotes to add to the book that the sexists and toxic masculinity infested (is that even a phrase?) individuals use. The interviewer asks what he thinks of the idea of boyfriends and girlfriends. Let this be noted that the terms the interviewer used indicate romantic attachments of people. But you know the people who react before they even think; Khalil ur Rehman becomes the perfect example of that.
He understood the questions as can girls and boys be friends. And the toxic masculinity infested (I am beginning to like this word) individual replies that this is the whitest lie in the world. He once again places the entire blame of the whole scenario on the women, stating that it is because women have become ‘loose’ and they have made themselves ‘available’.
Personal Note to Mere Paas Tum Ho writer here: Sir, you may think that girls and boys cannot be friends but let me tell you something. People with your mentality do not qualify to be anyone’s friends. And then, as the Urdu metaphor goes, ‘angoor khattey hain‘ (sour grapes), men start the campaign that oh girls and boys can never be friends. The truth is we don’t allow toxicity to manifest in our surroundings. If a boy is not toxic, we can totally befriend them.
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