ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is his role model and resolved to take all possible steps to check the growing wave of obscenity in society.
Talking to news directors of different television channels on Friday, the prime minister lamented that because of the unchecked spread of obscenity, sex crimes in the country have increased and there are a growing number of cases of rape of children and women.
One participant of the meeting, known for his credibility, said that towards the end of his interaction with the news directors, Prime Minister Imran Khan disclosed that when he took over as PM he had called a meeting of the inspector generals of police from all the four provinces and was alarmed to learn that sex crimes were on the rise across Pakistan.
The premier, according to the source, said that he believes that vulgarity in Pakistan has spread through Indian films and dramas as well as western entertainment channels. Imran Khan lamented that the widespread availability of mobile phones has also added to the problem because now adult content is freely available in the hands of anyone with a mobile phone.
“There was a time when we could all sit together with the family and watch movies and dramas. However, there has been a steep decline in the standard of our film and dramas which have been replaced by vulgar Indian content,” the premier said.
Referring to the example of India, the prime minister said that the county is on the verge of a moral collapse due to increasing obscenity in their entertainment industry. “The proof is that Delhi is now being called a rape capital,” he said.
The prime minister was of the view that even in Pakistan, scores of children and women are being raped and abused but the majority of victims do not report the crimes for fear of the stigma. “We must act to reverse this situation,” he insisted.
The premier said that he has assigned his special assistant on information Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa to draft a new film policy that would promote Pakistani culture and counter vulgarity. Khan disclosed that he had personally talked to Turkish President Tayyab Erdogan on the subject, following which it was decided to screen the Turkish TV serial Ertugrul for Pakistani viewers.
The premier continued that he had been told that in the absence of any quality production, people want to see vulgar content but the extraordinary success of Ertugrul proved that the masses want to watch wholesome entertainment.
Saying that the last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is his role model, Imran Khan disclosed that he has already directed the concerned authorities to teach the life of our Prophet (PBUH) as a role model to students of eighth, ninth and tenth classes whether they belong to English medium or Urdu medium schools.
The SAPM Lt Gen (retd) Asim Bajwa when contacted also confirmed that the prime minister had raised the issue of growing vulgarity during his interaction with the news directors of TV channels.
Bajwa assured that the Imran Khan government would not allow the spread of vulgarity and obscenity and will ensure that the socio-religious values of society are secured.