Petition filed with PHC against alleged harassment of woman

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) was moved on Monday against the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), a private channel and its reporter for alleged harassment of an aged woman in public through a programme when she was seeking alms on a road.

A Peshawar based lawyer, Mohibullah Kakakhel, filed the writ petition against the local reporter Yousaf Jan Utmankhel and a private news channel in the high court. Pemra through its chairman, federation of Pakistan through federal secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through its chief secretary, director Human Rights Cell Peshawar High Court, deputy commissioner Peshawar and IGP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also made parties in the petition.

The petition stated that it involved a question of public interest and related to the recent video clip which got viral on social media in which the reporter harassed, humiliated and insulted the modesty of an old lady in front of a mob near Namak Mandi market, but no one from the NGOs including the respondents took action against him.

It said that even if the woman was begging, the reporter had no right to insult her in the public and when she tried to stop him, he grabbed her from her arm and also used derogatory remarks.

It said that the aged woman treated the reporter like a child and kissed him on his cheeks and stated that she would not come again to the area. The petitioner said the act of the reporter was not only against the ethics of journalism but also punishable under section 509 and other sections of Pakistan Penal Code.

“It is the responsibility of the state to provide basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief for all citizens of Pakistan. However, they miserably failed to provide social security to the citizens, especially to the children below 18 and senior citizen,” it said.

It said that the media/reporters/journalist have no authority to humiliate and insult an aged woman’s modesty in public. Even the police cannot arrest a female if they are not accompanied by a policewoman or raid a house in which a female resides.

He requested acceptance of this writ petition and to declare the acts of the reporter against Islam, morals, ethics of journalism and also direct respondents to investigate the matter and take action against him in the best interest of justice.