Pakistan Army Spokesperson Caught Winking At Female Journalist, Faces Huge Backlash

The Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has received a lot of criticism after a video showed him winking at a female reporter during a press conference. The event happened when the journalist brought up the allegations against the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

What Did The Female Journalist Say?

Giving as an example the accusations that he is a ‘national security threat’, ‘anti state’, and supposedly being more ‘Delhi’s hand’ than anything else. Chaudhry, in reply, called Khan a ‘mental patient’ (in Urdu ‘zehni mareez’) followed by the wink towards the lady journalist.
The act immediately went viral on the social media platforms with a strong condemnation coming from the public. Users pointed to the case as unprofessional and degrading, giving as a reason that it was a ‘new low’ for a senior military officer.

Social Media Reactions

Opinions varied from viewing it as harassment to a broader condemnation of the institution: one person remarked, ‘This is openly happening in front of a camera. There is no democracy in Pakistan anymore. The PM is just a puppet.’ Others considered the wink as the direct disregard of the professional etiquette and the violation of the women’s dignity.

State Media Interaction In Pakistan

Not just the individual act but also many observers regard this incident as a surface symptom of bigger problems loss of professionalism and respect in the state media interaction, and a discouraging message to women reporters working in a military influenced environment. For an official of the media unit of the army, such conduct poses serious questions regarding the institutional culture and the power relations. The negative reactions keep coming as the public discussion over the issues of respect, accountability, and the treatment of journalists along with their women counterparts, especially in politically sensitive areas, intensifies.

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