Scenes captured in a mobile phone video shot at the PTI rally on The Mall in Lahore last week have documented the barbaric sexual harassment suffered by some of the women attending the rally. According to the video footage dozens of men started to physically harass girls at the rally. After much public outrage over the incident, the response of the PTI leadership was as expected; they blamed the horrific incident on ‘goons’ affiliated with the PML-N. Shifting the blame represents a broader trend within the PTI, which has been unable to discipline its supporters and those who attend its rallies. The decision to blame the PML-N is at best an ill-advised one. At worst, it serves to protect those committing such acts. By playing politics, instead of cleaning up its own house, the PTI should not sideline the real issue of women’s harassment at its rallies.
This is not the first time women have had to face such behaviour at PTI rallies. Back in 2014, female journalists were harassed by PTI workers a number of times during the dharna. The PTI leadership needs to look at itself and the bravado it encourages in its political gatherings. With its own leadership using objectionable language, there is little incentive for its supporters to remain within limits. Already, a number of women have complained over the level of harassment they receive from out of control PTI supporters on social media forums. The PTI Women’s Wing seems to have toed the line of its male leadership by blaming ‘outsiders’, instead of trying to reform the party’s approach. The issue is simple: why does the PTI constantly deny that these are their own people? Strangely enough, the government seems more interested in making sure those responsible are charged while the PTI insists on shifting the blame. The PTI’s own investigation will take a week. We must remember that women’s participation in the rallies of other political parties, including the MQM, PPP and even the JI, remains high without such terrible incidents occurring. There is a problem within the PTI ranks, whether it is uncontrollable supporters or the inability to provide adequate security. The provision of safe spaces for women in the political sphere is important. It is time the PTI took a deep look at whether its own approach is making women unsafe.