Being a journalist, the first rule you have to stick to is to not ask suggestive and close-ended questions. But, when it is about interviewing a sexually harassed person, you should be even more conscious. Waseem Badami, regardless of being a senior journalist, disappointed numerous of his followers when he invited Ayesha Omar to his famous show Har Lamha Purjosh. Everything was pleasant, and Ayesha started telling the audience about the struggle her mother went through to raise her after her father died. The purpose of this was to tell the viewers that no matter how well off the celebrities look, they have seen thick and thin in their lives.
The interview took a new turn when Badami asked Ayesha Omar about the whole sexual harassment story she went through. As a reply, Ayesha informed that she was only 22 years old and was harassed by someone who was in power. Furthermore, she stated that she stayed quiet for about 13 years and later revealed it to the people. To all this, the anchor responded unexpectedly as he uttered, ” And you are sorry about that?”. As a reply, Ayesha responded, ” Uh, yes.” The question triggered her emotions, and she broke into tears and even said that she never cried telling this to anyone and probably it is the way that Waseem Badami questioned that made her have wet eyes.
It is inevitable that social media has played its role in making such taboos discussable, but still, their nature can’t be changed. This is not how a sexually assaulted victim has to be interviewed. It was up to Ayesha whether she would like to discuss it or not, and she shouldn’t be ashamed of that because it is not so easy to open up about such issues.
