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Sex for sale: Where are we heading?

Sex for sale: Where are we heading?

When 'sex phone' ads hit dailies and call girls hop into SUVs on streets, you know our values have taken a nose dive.

Ayesha Jehangir February 03, 2011

On a recent trip to a juice shop in Lahore, my husband and I noticed a huge black Cygnus car stop at the turn across the road.

After closer observation, we saw two women, both around the age of 25, dressed in bright silk step into the jeep that careened off.

Two other women were left behind. After some 20 minutes, they too stepped into a Camry and sped off. My husband and I looked towards each other simultaneously – we knew what we just saw but did not have the guts to admit what was going on so openly at 11:30 pm on one of the busiest roads of the area.

“Westernisation!” my husband murmured.

The other day, a news story at the front of the city page of a famous newspaper said ‘Sex phone’ ads hit dailies. The story stated how prostitution on the phone was advertised on rates as low Rs100. It was no less than a shock to see how we, as a society, have fallen by our moral and ethical standards.

When a gynaecologist says that her number of unmarried patients have strikingly increased in the last five years, when the telecom companies offer codes where callers can get names, numbers and recorded messages of other callers, mostly those ‘lonely and looking for a friend’ and when there are sudden sprouts of controversial guest houses in every town, one is forced to think where our values are headed.

When a friend read the same story about the phone ads, she exclaimed, “Westernisation!”

However, I disagree with my friend as well as my husband.

Why do we always blame the West for our wrong doings? And even if we were adopting western values, why do we only acquire the negative aspects? Why can we not learn to leave our seats for senior citizens or pregnant women on buses? Why do we not learn to stand in queues and follow traffic rules?

The answer is us. The actual problem lies within us and will keep worsening if we do not pull ourselves back and amend our ways. It’s still not too late.

WRITTEN BY:
Ayesha Jehangir A sub-editor on the Lahore desk of The Express Tribune. She graduated from Kinnaird College with a masters in mass communication and is a Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Fellow of Journalism at DW, Bonn.

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (114)

Beheader | 12 years ago | Reply @Ahmad: If Sex doesn't corrupt society than what about asking your family women to start this 'sacred' business ... May be its a social service or something you wanna say but couldn't bit clearly stated in words ..

Okay | 12 years ago | Reply

Why can we not learn to leave our seats for senior citizens or pregnant women on buses?

No one leaves their seat for senior citizens and pregnant women on buses in the west these days.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Ansar | 12 years ago | Reply "....................The actual problem lies within us and will keep worsening if we do not pull ourselves back and amend our ways............" I have heard the above line after many a Jumma khutba as well. So basically it says that something is wrong and needs to be corrected? What a wonderful piece of information!!! Time to think guys. No, it is time to brainstorm. Viewed from a certain angle, we are a nation of mentally sick people, aren't we? There is an unhealthy fixation on sex. (Read perversions) Be it the hysterical over-emphasis on Hijab or the equally hysterical over-emphasis on being liberated, we are essentially circling around the same lynch pin. The question is, "How to break free or how to become relatively desensitised to sex?" There are also issues related to seeing women as nothing more than sex objects. It is an invitation to think objectively and to grant women the status of real human beings breathing the same air as the men. (please don't fall into the familiar thought trap of "Chadar and Chardewari ka taqaddus and sana khawan e taqdees e mashriq etc." Get a life!)

Lubna | 12 years ago | Reply I second "Pakistani" here. The "so what" attitude will take us nowhere. We are already way too corrupted and confused, as a nation. The author has pointed out a bitter truth of our society and no one can disagree with the fact that Prostitution is wrong. She never said no action should be taken against all the other evils in our society! Stop being harsh to the author. Infact, re-read the article and all the feedback and give me one good reason why everyone here is suggesting that this article is a waste of time and web space, just because Prostitution has been in Lahore for the longest time. I believe everyone's favorite line on this page was "Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world". HA HA :/ I am actually disappointed that all you people, who are apparently the educated lot of our society, did not get a shock reading about sex ads in the leading newspaper? I know all about the bribery, murders, robberies, target killing, rape, basically extreme corruption in our society, yet whenever i myself see a car stop by a random footpath, and a woman in flashy clothes get into it, my jaw drops open. Why? Because i am against this act as much as i am against any other form of corruption out there. I sincerely hope atleast someone reads this article and the limited "sane" feedback here, and gets our perspective!

Rozina | 12 years ago | Reply IF prostitution is actually being ADVERTISED (by telephonic means or newspapers), why aren't these agencies being banned? Simple, cuz its furtively authorized!! And if this thought pops up in your head that prostitution is a source of livelihood for those poor women, then you actually ARE influenced by WEST! Cuz this 'thought' just legally breeds there! Islam/Pakistan (No, don't u dare try to separate both of them) strongly FORBIDS it! If you don't have an easy way of earning money, there is always a HARD way to it! Handicrafts, anyone? Woodcutting? Making bricks? (yes, a better JOB for women..as compared to prostitution) The only conclusion this article's comments leads to is, humanity has become exceedingly boorish! People have started believing in 'Ignorance is Bliss'...rather than 'Enjoining Good & Forbidding Evil' The comments speak for themselves. Why on earth would you expect Pakistan to be under moral leadership when we have ourselves created the circumstances that make such leadership valid? Wasn't this already stated in Quran and Ahaadeeth that when people will stop enjoining good and forbidding evil, they'll be lead by the worst amongst them? Either forbid evil and aim for a better government, or accept/authorize evil and deal with the current (rather worse) government! Heads up to the author of this article.

Mohammad Nisar | 12 years ago | Reply I think you hit the nail on the head, what to reiterate your point by quoting Aristotle, he says : if he have not virtue, man is the most unholy and the most savage of animals, and the most full of lust and gluttony if we could only emulate monkeys and pigs, and make humping eating and sleeping our motives to live, how are we any better ? peace

malik | 12 years ago | Reply Why should someone indulge in prostitution when then there is an honorable way of doing it - It is called One Day Wedding - Nikāḥ al-Mut‘ah

Safi Ahmed | 12 years ago | Reply Being a supporter of the 'us' concept and still blaming the near east (India) and the far west for the day-by-day unveiling of women, reading this article really just opened my eyes! It is basically us who supported the (partial or full) nudity in the western world. Supporting them has turned the tables over to us!

Fareed | 12 years ago | Reply Sex sells everywhere in the world. It would be futile to make Pakistan an exception. Try as we might, we, the city slickers can not help admiring the so called westernisation even though we may not approve of it verbally. moral decadence is cool! LOL And hey! whoever said we live in an islamic republic needs to get his head out of the sand.

ANONYMOUS | 12 years ago | Reply I don't think the author is questioning the fact that prostitution is the oldest profession in history. Most commentators have just become defensive and said she is writing a meaningless blog. What she is trying to say that in Pakistan we like to blame most of our problems on the West. We blame them for everything from drone strikes to the price of petrol. The problem lies with us. Societies and cultures get influenced by others that is a fact. The medieval west absorbed the learning of the Muslim cultures and progressed. We on the other hand take in only their filth and none of their good. Why is it that only their rot finds a home in our society?Until we learn to question the wrongs within our own society and then take steps to remove them things will continue to become worse.

Zeeshan Ahmed | 12 years ago | Reply @nobody: I never said that Prostitution was brought to east by the west.... My point was that when Islam came ALLAH (S.W.T) Ordered Muslims to not to commit adulatory as it is Forbidden in ISLAM... That was the biggest difference in muslims and non-muslims. As we muslims are not allow even to look at a women other then our sister, mother,wife and etc. So to Indulge in Prostitution or Zanah.... is one of the Biggest sin for muslim to commit. In the early ages Muslims were at there peak in obeying ALLAH (S.W.T)'s orders and the teachings of Our Holy Prophet, which make them very strong and Successful in each and every thing. if you want to know then just watch some videos on Islam. you will Notice that Islam was spreading all over the world so rapidly that Non-muslims were afraid that muslims will conquer whole world. so they started using different things to misguide our UMMAH... Prostitution, Television, Music are some of those things.... look around you, look in your relatives, friends your own house what do you see...?? We muslims are surrounded by all such things which can easily push us to do a sinful act... Music, movies, even Indian mantur is being played in our house... People dont even stop listening to music even during RAMZAN... The most holiest Month of our Religion... Where ALLAH gives us 10 times more rewards then in any other month.... It is a month when Shaytan is Locked for not misguide muslims... but we obey him so much throughout the year that he doesn't have to worry for the month of RAMZAN.... We Muslims should have to wake up and control ourselves otherwise it will be to late.... THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT IS VERY NEAR......

Nobody | 12 years ago | Reply @Zeeshan Ahmed: I disagree completely, and I think it's high time our society take a look at itself and take responsibility for what it's becoming instead of blaming the WEST for everything. Prostitution has existed since the beginning of time, EVERYWHERE, it didn't magically originate in the west and make its way to the 'untainted' east.

Farzandh | 12 years ago | Reply prostitution or lust-sale of female body, is the oldest profession in the world. you cant eliminate it totally from society. sex is the strongest and the most powerful determining factor in humam life and society and it will remain so as lon as this mundane world exists and persists......

FR | 12 years ago | Reply Ill try to add something. I think its not a moral problem but a social problem. The problem with prostitution its when you dont have the choice to practice it. In a poor society with little social help, prostitution can be the only way to earn money for many women. They then enter that "industry" and have an hard time getting out since theres nothing else for them. If theres many prostitute, then the offer will be high and getting a prostitute will be cheaper, making them even poorer. I dont say you are at that point, but its under those conditions that protitution thrive. I dont know the kind of money your prostitutes can get but here lots are richer than the average guy. They can stop if they want and get another job (surely less paying). Poor people can get help to find work, get cheap education (or even free) and get governement money so they get the minimum standard of living. All those things are linked. So I think the solution is not that simple, it involve better education, good social service and work opportunities.

Ali | 12 years ago | Reply Dear Ayesha prostitution is not westernization, it is/was everywhere.

Syed Farhan | 12 years ago | Reply Good thought Ayesha, and good writing too. This is, no doubt, the time to think, where, as a nation, we are heading to.

Fahad | 12 years ago | Reply I think this is quite a decent article. Blaming westernisationis so 1990's. The problem does not lie with prostitution itself but with our society which is now choosing to ignore and accept prostitution. There is a myriad of people here that can comment on why prostitution is rife today. However, no one choses to recognise the fact that be as liberal as we may, we still live in a country that submits to the sovereignty of Allah. That considered there should be no place for prostitution in our society but there must also be equality, justice and sanctification of human life. I can dream, can't I? The beef I have is mainly with comments made by males proclaiming prostitution to be the oldest profession in the world. It is such a misogynistic and decrepit view of the female condition that I can't feel but pity. The idea considering women inferior has plagued the subcontinent for generations and has led to an inevitable loss of female sanctity.

Zeeshan Ahmed | 12 years ago | Reply @nobody & Ishma...“When a gynecologist says that her number of unmarried patients have strikingly increased in the last five years” the writer was trying to say in this sentence that unmarried "pregnant" patients have increased.... not just any other patient.... you are right that girls even unmarried can have a problem or a disease for which they have to consult a gynecologist..... Read the whole article again..... its telling us that SEX which was & is a BIGGEST sin in Our Religion and in our Society have increased so rapidly that it is found or heard daily... And for those who ask that what does WESTERNIZATION have to do with this.... My answer is yes WESTERNIZATION and MODERNIZATION is the only reason why we MUSLIMS falling for these sins everyday..... Please answer me what does your tv show??? English Movies?? Indian Movies?? Fashion shows?? Dance shows??? right?? this is what we call western media which shows how can we get Modernize or to be popular in our social group or how to achieve your goals in life?? Just to check... find 3,4 or 5 year old kid and ask him about his favorite personality, song and Dance.... then you will know what our younger generation is learning from Media.... After that ask him about ALLAH (S.W.T), Holy Prophet(S.A.W.W) and our Holy Book.... the answer he will give will b shocking at least to the people who knows the importance of our religion.... Just do a small research, pick kids from different locations and ask them these question... i am sure out of 10 7-8 will not b able to tell you about their religion but they can sure tell you the names of famous actors, singers and dancers..... We so called mature people also follow these actors and singers, hoping that some day we can be like them or atleast have faces,hair or dress like them..... and please dont say you dont... coz every person who is a fan of tv shows or movies is more or less follow the icons on the screen..... have you ever thought that who are these people?? they are Sharabee (Alcohol drinkers), Zaani (have sex without marriage) then how can we follow them??? why cant we follow our Prophet(S.A.W.W) why cant we follow his teachings and the teachings of ALLAH (S.W.T)? The problems we are facing today whether its economical or personal it's all because of our sins that we do everyday and dont even regret or ask for forgiveness from ALLAH (S.W.T).... We are lucky that we have time to pray to ALLAH and ask HIM to forgive us... otherwise it will b tooooo late.... If you guys need a proof in Hadiths with reference about what is wrong in our society and what PROPHET (S.A.W.W) told about the signs of Qayamah.... then please listen to this urdu bayan its only 30 to 40mins long........ Please listen my muslim brothers and sisters..... http://www.fahmedeen.org/new/file-2163-Aisay%20Haalaat%20Kiyun%20(06-08-2010).html

Nobody | 12 years ago | Reply @ishma: You took the words right out of my mouth.... off the main topic but that line caught my attention too. It's such an old wives tale that unmarried women shouldn't go to the gyny... ridiculous.... any woman (or man) can have reproductive problems that can escalate to far more serious issues if ignored; being married has nothing to do with. With the growing frequency of cancers, cysts, and a multitude of other reporoductive problems (atleast here in the US) that could be treated if caught early enough, it's important young women, married or not, go to a gyny. People need to let go of this old school & misinformed mentality.

Zeeshan Ahmed | 12 years ago | Reply It is all happening because we lack in our Religious Beliefs/teachings(deen sey doori) if you want to know why all of this happening listen to this urdu bayan. http://www.fahmedeen.org/new/file-2163-Aisay%20Haalaat%20Kiyun%20(06-08-2010).html and watch the documentary "the Arrivals" on youtube.

Shahzad Bhatti | 12 years ago | Reply What does WESTERNIZATION have to do with anything ? Ask your husband that first.

A | 12 years ago | Reply @TKhan: that would be a funny headline: "Islamic Republic of Pakistan legalizes prostitution" the minister who sends THAT draft in the assembly is dead the next day!

BP | 12 years ago | Reply @Leo and @Waqqas Iftikhar: Prove to me it is the oldest profession in history. From the SaHiiH aHaadiith we know that Able was a Sheep-herder and Cain was a Farmer. That would make these the oldest professions in history. Please bring your proofs or your arguments.

Zubairree | 13 years ago | Reply @kashif & Aysha you seem to be Taliban............

Amna Sharif | 13 years ago | Reply What exactly are the enlightened readers trying to point out when they say prostitution has been around for ages? are they justifying its existence? should it be allowed to be around for ages ahead? A wrong is a wrong, and remains a wrong and no matter how many times you do it..it does not become right. Good article, keep it up. And yes the blame is on US all of us that we choose to close our eyes on such matters and tell ourselves that WE are the best/ purest ones when infact we are fooling our own selves and are degrading our lives on a downward spiral of morality.

QuranVsHadith | 13 years ago | Reply http://tribune.com.pk/story/138089/a-civilisation-of-narcissists/ Great article that answers why to all the evils of Pakistan. The question is....do you ave the guts to read it and do soemthing about it?

Muhammad Affan Zia | 13 years ago | Reply well no solution for it .. because no body wants to do that .. i have seen every other gal called this her freedom . if Man Watched them they comment that Uhh What a __ he is ? so for me i think to control this we need to separate the sex symbols from fashion .. on individual basis ..

Karim Alam | 13 years ago | Reply @Ayesha: Bitter Realities!

Umair Waheed Sheikh, Khayban e Hafiz,Karachi | 13 years ago | Reply If my fiance wont give me what I want now then I have to take out that on someone else!

Salman | 13 years ago | Reply The answer lies in the Presidency and not westernization. When thugs and crooks are the leaders, the morality of the nation is their true reflection.

Ishtiaq Khan | 13 years ago | Reply AOA...Hope every one is doing well.I don't know why you people are going to make this topic complex,her approach is quite clear towards prostitution,she doesn't like this immoral and (anti-human-values) profession,but some people showed their support in favor of prostitution(impliedly and expressly) .Now those who are supporting the profession would have reasons for it and those who are opposing it would have also reasons.But we all should work for making our society decent and sober in every sphere of life as much as we can do.

lashar khan | 13 years ago | Reply i tinks the problem lies within us how many times we have spend time with our kids telling them stories of PROPHET PBUH and sahaba KARAm..

lashar khan | 13 years ago | Reply ohhhhhh my GOD i am realy sorry everywhere is this bad thing and it has engulfed the muslim society. its too bad here we are worried about our kids behaviour and planning to come home but when i heard things like this i realize that there is no place in the world where you can raise your kids according to ISLAMIC virtues. feel so bad

Ghulam Abbas | 13 years ago | Reply This is very bad and very much true. We really need to take steps to put things back.

Radial | 13 years ago | Reply This has to be the most retarded post I've read today. Why does this person even have access to a blog on the Tribune's website? Totally pointless piece of writing. Madam, if you are about to miss a deadline and really have nothing worthwhile to write, please, just miss your deadline and don't subject readers to your illogical and idiotic statements. If you're from Lahore have you heard of Heera Mandi? Was that a "western" influence?

Kamran | 13 years ago | Reply yeah. we can't live without it. if there r no timely marriages then there will be sex...........majburi se ;-(

Jameel ur Rasheed | 13 years ago | Reply That's not westernization, that's de-easternization!

amna usmani | 13 years ago | Reply aslam o alekum i read the article and then the comment and i am actually shocked to see how people respond to writings and grabbing only the surface meanings... without even thinking and pondering fer 2 seconds, we actually HAVE to answer... and critics without logics is in our genes... ayesha is trying to point out the fact that its true that prostitution exists but it never had been this open before... we see it every where now... jst journey back to 5 years and name one place/ area/ location where we ever saw it... it was hidden... its supposed to be hidden if not removed... but its not now.. its open like anything and its not at all good... and we have gone blind to it... we dont take actions like reporting to police or protesting against it... we jst shy away and tell ourself that we saw nothing... we dont try to figure out who these ppl are... are they westernizing ppl or the ppl from diamond market or who?? idea was to share the fact that exists... as we all know and commenters have mentioned too (majorly in harsh and pinching way) however to remind us that this is something which is different and it does not use to happen before... and we know this too but we are too busy in grabing surface meanings of everything and bashing the hell out of it :) we need to draw lines... define limits... whats acceptable for us and whats not.. we need to take actions now !!!

yousaf Hyat | 13 years ago | Reply I think you are jealous of te girls in the Toyota Cygnus.

Malik Nasir | 13 years ago | Reply Yeah, she is rite, what she meant to say was...It's more visible now !

Dr Khalid Bajwa Niazi | 13 years ago | Reply We always have prostitution. You only need to go to National assemble to find them.

gulshanRasool | 13 years ago | Reply still East and West issue, please for GOD sake. this is same hindu, muslim, sikh isai, yahodi , arab, sidhi, punjabi, shia sunni, u know?? what is the main issue?? Evil and Humanity is main issue, we must solve it. thow it already solved, we just Obey the right one if we have some wise sense. wassalam

amasoo | 13 years ago | Reply seriously, this article is pointless.

Mujtaba Hasan Zaidi | 13 years ago | Reply AFTER A LONG TIME A VERY SENSIBLE ARTICLE!!! OR ELSE EVERYBODY WOULD HAVE TERMED THIS AS "LIBERALISATION".. Most of the people are actually happy about these things!!!

arsalan | 13 years ago | Reply salams to all my Muslim brethren & may peace & blessings of Allah be upon all of u! 1st of all,id like to congratulate the author for pointing out (not a new story thou) this malicious disease,especially here in Pakistan. however,i feel ashamed to even think that some of you,ACTUALLY, sort of go-with-the-flow of this article & not against it! what im baffled about, is how in the world can one one think of prostitution? forget about no-jobs or our-women-are-looked-down-upon in our society, ABSOLUTE RUBBISH & BLASPHEMY! THAT IS WHY ALLAH SAID IN THE QUR'AN " THE SAFEST AMONGST YOU (WOMEN) ARE THOSE WHO SIT AT HOME,IN THE FARTHEST CORNERS OF THEIR HOME " WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? it mean, a women is NOT supposed to get out of the house,UNLESS,in dire need, like helping the sick or nobody to bring food! but NOT WORK!& especially,in these days where theres so much mingling between the sexes,that thou its HARAAM,its still common now! & yes,westernisation has alot to do with it! any sick pervert,will browse through any girl/womens brain,just by staring at her,mentally raping her to the point that she fears for herself! but do you know why & how this happens???? THE ATTIRE... THE CLOTHES,THE SURROUNDINGS! if a women is properly veiled,covered up & not showing off her ASSETS to the CONSUMERS,then there will BE NO DEMAND,at all! prostitution is one hell of a problem,leading to diseases,to psychosis & alot of mental & physical disorders! not to mention leading to hell ultimately! it all goes against the Orders of Allah Subhan o Ta'alla,who Himself has forbade to lead such a life,no matter what! BE PATIENT! like any sin,supposedly leading from lack-of knowledge,peer pressures & unemployment issues, it still doesnt give anyone,whether Muslim or not, to indulge in such evil! what is ZINA???? its all this or no?or is it something else?it comes under the major sins! & believe me,anyone caught,is to be punished,severely! why on earth are we not thinking of eradicating this immoral activity & think of better ways to understand his issue? anyways,i dont know what REALLY can be done about it,cause honestly, like more bedraggled trees, the roots need chopping off... in which,one is not sure where it started from! LET US ALL pray that Allah keeps US ALL away & safe from such sins & Haraam acts & makes us just,pious & patient & that we may heed His teachings & follow the Sunnah in anyway possible!may He protect us from the whispers of the satan & from the Fitnah of the Dajjal & from the disillusionment of this materialistic world! Ameen! Ameen! Fi-Aman Allah

AM | 13 years ago | Reply -

mEddy | 13 years ago | Reply @AD: they should get married for their sex needs instead of heading towards prostitutes :) quite simple if brains be used :)

mEddy | 13 years ago | Reply @ishma: she is trying to point out the fact when unmarried women visit gynecologist for babies in their belly :) it was quite obvious what she was trying to say .. you are educated yet ignorant ..

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Please give my 2 minutes back. It was a waste of time.

billo | 13 years ago | Reply What a ridiculously uninformed. Has the author ever read Urdu literature, from Umrao Jan Ada to the works of Manto, that have nuanced discussions of prostitution in Muslim society, pre- and post partition? Probably not. Who reads Urdu anymore? Westernization!

zaigham | 13 years ago | Reply prostituition is not westernisation... prostitution exists in our region since long... free sex may be called westernisation... but anyways vices do not have a racial or regional affiliations... its our biases which tend to associate it with regions, religions, races...

Heena Hirani | 13 years ago | Reply What I believe is that this topic was just an excuse to see to where our moral standards stand. Prostitution is one of the many 'common' and 'age-old' social crimes just like taking drugs, gambing, drinking etc. which cannot really be narrowed down to have emerged from a specific origin. Courtesans were popular during the Mughal period and in many kingdoms likewise. What actually lacks in our society is the basic moral standrads which the article points out in the end. Our society is under going a lot of doouble standards where the leaders are assasinated in the name of Islam, but on the other hand street crime is on an alarming rise. Valentine's Day celebrations are discouraged, but ogling eyes and leering comments do not let a lady cross the street. The sayings and doings are very different. either openly accept what you are or stand up to make happen what you believe in saying.

AE | 13 years ago | Reply this has to be the most pointless and delusional piece of writing I have read in a long time. what are we questioning here? justification of prostitution? negative influences of the 'west'? or pakistani society's moral fabric? why would any of this be a point of concern when in pakistan- 2 out of every 5 children are sexually abused, less than 1% of the organisation in the entire economy have maintained a healthy proportion of male:female employees, mass education system is only producing racist, extremist illiterates...believe we need to focus on right issues than sit around in our cars and notice who is picking up women from where.... plus- my most important question to the writer is: how sure can you be in your judgement that they were prostitutes? did they have a sticker pastes? did they offer any services to you? or was it just by the way they were dressed , the fact that they got in to 'fancy cars' at an 'odd time'? i believe you at the first place do not hold the right to judge based on your assumptions.. we have just gone too deep in to the culture of holier than thou

ishma | 13 years ago | Reply Because of course only married women have gynecological problems. In fact female genitalia and reproductive organs do not even exist until after women get married.

ishma | 13 years ago | Reply "When a gynecologist says that her number of unmarried patients have strikingly increased in the last five years" So unmarried women shouldn't see a doctor if they have gynecological issues? Are you educated at all?

Fahd Masood | 13 years ago | Reply Your article has two facets i.e. Prositution and Westernization. I completely agree with your conclusion that we are ourselves to blame for the mess our country is in right now. But to derive this conclusion on the basis of Prostitution does not sound right. We have a bundle of other issues to disapprove the Westernization philosphy. As for my friends who have been cribbing on the fact that they saw a simnilar article/s some time back; my friends, the author has been gracious enough to provide you with hyperlinks to the those article/s. Just that you never wanted to access something whcih was a click away!

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply Guys!!! Prostitution have been there for decades!! the only way to get it controlled is to take measures to improve life of an ordinary man....nothing more can be done to avoid this.

AD | 13 years ago | Reply What this lady wants young to do...play carom in their homes? Sex is a need not a greed.

Steven | 13 years ago | Reply You can never stop prostitution. All you will do is arrest low level players and the ones with influence and money will get away. Look at very conservative nations like Saudia Arabia and Iram. There is more prostitution there than Pakistan and even many western nations!

Sjunaid | 13 years ago | Reply @Abdul Moiz Jaferii: Thank you for this VERY true comment. Bravo to you. Keep the truth coming.

chitposh | 13 years ago | Reply @ Ayesha Jahangir in society like our prostitution cant become a routine remains a deal under hand e.g. this specific incident can have explanation such as may be a bigger family were waiting for their vehicles after attending marriage ceremony. in reply to Comments section: 1- No doubt prostitution was always there and everywhere but point is that in pakistan its on rise on a rapid rise for financial, social and physiological reasons. 2- Yes this is one form of corruption but worst of all because it endangers fundamental institution of society that is family. 3- Solution is simple start paying your taxes both national and religious without excuse whether payee deserves it or not.

Sana Saleem | 13 years ago | Reply The case is not hidden from the checking authorities But Off course they get their part from it.

Rizwan | 13 years ago | Reply I'm surprised the OP has only just witnessed this, it's pretty much a daily occurrence in the area she's referring to. There is absolutely no point in trying to control or eliminate prostitution because as always it will continue to exist under different guises. As long we have horny old men with ill gotten wealth to burn, prostitution won't go away. There is nothing we can do about what goes on behind closed doors but I guess the least the authorities can do is try and clean up our streets, even in the west you won't see street dealing this openly.

Noor-ul-ain Hanif | 13 years ago | Reply i agree with u the problem is with in us!!

Shah | 13 years ago | Reply what is your point in this blog?

I am a responsible and civilized citizen of Pakistan | 13 years ago | Reply I think there should be some sort of "Fahashi Control Program" which takes strict measures again prostitution. Besides, we need a great deal of Islamic knowledge and other education of morality which keeps the society clean relatively. Through some measures we may mitigate the problem though eliminating it is not possible. However, if we don't do something immediately, things are going in wrong direction with a great pace. Education would be the best way I believe.

Ayesha | 13 years ago | Reply @Kashif: So right! Amen! It has to stop!

Kashif | 13 years ago | Reply @ Ayesha and All those Males who are commenting on this Subject: In our Religion Islam Prostitution is Haram, so is Alcohol / Wine, Bribery and all Un ethical and Un Human activities including Killing of Innocent people. Saudia and other state have prostitution Agreed, BUT difference is that ITS NOT DONE OPENLY and IS NOT EASY ACCESS. Families and Specially Children Suffer Bitterly if Parents get Separated. If men or Women are involved in Prostitution than think about the Moral and Social values of our society. Our Mother, Sisters and Daughters are NOT safe because people with Sex desires can do any thing and its happening, Rapes are increased, young couples are involved with out Marriage. So all this Menace HAS TO STOP. Allah may have mercy on us.... But Societies with Adultre Face and Shall face Azab-e-Illahi. I believe in that and I seek Allah Protection and Mercy.

Ayesha | 13 years ago | Reply @Sam A: Yes they r male and it shows how bad the situation is..... this talks about morality in our men. But ofcource not all men! But it shows how mentality is changing.... and men saying that there is nothing wrong.... What fools paradise are we living in? When men in society become bad... it is followed by women b/c men become do this with women..... it shows we r going down fast.... morality is deifned as being able to differentiate between right and wrong. Old testament as well as Islam says that punishment of prostituition is death, of zina is death, of rape is death. For unmarried, its 100 lashes - but repeated mistake which affect the society on teh whole is punishable by death also..... And so RIGHT! People who support prostituition in return support kidnapping of girls (later turned into prostitutes), support selling of women, support abuse of women, support cheating in the society.

Ayesha | 13 years ago | Reply @Ahmad: r u sane ahmad.... it doesnt corrupt the society??? It tumbles the whole family system down for God's sake. THINK!!!!

Saleem | 13 years ago | Reply What a pointless, useless article that ends with all the wrong conclusions. What an utter waste of time. Author should be encouraged to leave her desk job and do something else.

zainab | 13 years ago | Reply @Waqqas Iftikhar: well mr iftikhar you are going a little over board sure prostitution has been for a long time but what ayesha is trying to say is that it has become so common that prostitution is bring done in peak rush hours, nobody is scared anymore because frankly speaking it has been accepted in our society, but why only prostitution?just because it has been an age old practice.thats BS

Wasim Ali | 13 years ago | Reply You Are right. its the corruption of our character.

Waqqas Iftikhar | 13 years ago | Reply @zainab - how very logical of you, that'd then mean that anyone who supports the reform of the blasphemy law also supports blasphemy...and whoever supports family planning also wants to kill babies..... prostitution is and always will be a feature of any society...we should strive hard though to provide greater opportunities for women so that they do not end up in a situation where they resort to this

zainab | 13 years ago | Reply This is to all the men who dont see prostitution being a problem in our society, obviously its easy to gather that each one of you has been to a prostitute atleast once in your life.

Saad | 13 years ago | Reply its nothing new yaar so much common near my place on shahra-e-faisal they are standing waiting for people and the shameful thing is that the police is also involved that if anyone go to them they go from back side and when they get there police also comes and ask for money(bribe) so they are also involved u cant say anything to anyone atleast in this country.....

ehabs | 13 years ago | Reply There is nothing unnatural about sex. Grow up, and maybe open a book or two to enlighten your closed mind. Sexual lust and desires are as natural to humans as is hunger for food. If people are denied this for 'moral' reasons, then only will society be regressing. At its present state, it's perfectly fine.

ehabs | 13 years ago | Reply This is, honestly, the worst thing I have ever read on Tribune Blogs.

Waqqas Iftikhar | 13 years ago | Reply @sheryar i dont think anyone would become a prostitute of their own accord and consequently we need to provide young women with opportunities where they dont have to resort to be exploited like this....nonetheless,i disagree with the reason you've given - you say prostitution harms society....holland seems to be doing ok in most socio economic indicators, and its legal there...anyone have any ideas?

Umer Farooq | 13 years ago | Reply Dear all,,,,i went through the post and the comments as well.. but the problem is why didn people comment on the last 2 paragraphs??? weldone Ayesha Jehangir keep it up,,

Tariq Aziz | 13 years ago | Reply @ Ayesha ! I do agree with all your opinion and Adding more print and electronic media are also equally contributing directly and indrirectly building the soci-psycho grounds to see this "Westernization"

ali | 13 years ago | Reply yea but how come so may people including her husband think that this is westernisation?

Hasan | 13 years ago | Reply

Why can we not learn to leave our seats for senior citizens or pregnant women on buses? Why do we not learn to stand in queues and follow traffic rules?

The answer is us. The actual problem lies within us and will keep worsening if we do not pull ourselves back and amend our ways. It’s still not too late. You just summed up all that is wrong with our nation

Sam A | 13 years ago | Reply are males.

Sam A | 13 years ago | Reply Haha ! Almost ALL respondents justifying/glorifying prostitution as MALES.

Adnan Arshad Mansoori | 13 years ago | Reply Ayesha Jehangir & others — Read the following — Just for Innocent Pakistani - Women Attraction — who are found Often as an Orthodox Believer of such OFFERS — through Adds. Keeping to the FACT in minds — Women are more Believers of such Superstitions i.e. the Major Reason - they may get TRAP. FREE ISTIKHARA….DIL PSAND SHADI, DOSTI,….. RISHTON MAY BANDISH, SHADI ME RUKAWAT,….. MOHABBAT ME NAKAMI, JUDAI,…. SOTAN KA MASLA, KAROBAR,….. HAR KAAM KE LIA ABHI RABITA KARAIN, FREE ONLINE ZAICHA …FREE ONLINE ISTEKHARA..FREE ONLINE WAZIFA..FREE ONLINE AMLIYAT… HAR MASLAE KA FORI HAL ABHI FONE KARAIN….. AAMIL KALIM BANGALI…. *B-N = Begum Nawazish *SUNGSAR = Stoning till DEATH *SUNGSARI = Punishment of Adultery – as per Holy Quran Directive *SUNGSAR - Hay Quran Ka Hukum –— Hamara Hukumran Manta –— America Ka Hukam- Gur Ho *SUNGSARI Ka Hukum – Kiya *B-N - Jaisay Logoun Ka Iss Mulk Mein Hoga – Janam- http://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/multimedia/2011/01/110129afghanstoning_psa.shtml Begum Nawazish & his/her - Views about ISLAM - with American Media Man http://www.youtube.com/results?searchquery=begum+nawazish+ali+national+geographic&aq=2 http://www.youtube.com/results?searchquery=begum+nawazish+ali&aq=0

parvez | 13 years ago | Reply Problems of society are to be controlled by laws and more so by trying to build a just and equatable society, something we are miserably failing in doing. At the same time I am quite surprised that stuff like prostitution and gambling etc are really not that widespread or may be I am just misinformed. Your very right when you say we should look at ourselves instead of blaming the West and others.

Shehryar | 13 years ago | Reply @Ahmad: Sorry, my friend I disagree with you. Prostitution usually does act as source of corruption within any society. I would like to take this chance to educate my countrymen about the interest of Britain Monarchy in Hong Kong due to extensive revenue from sex industry back in 1800's. Ever since time and time again it has been proved sex industry does harm the society and causes evil for wider population. A wrong-do must be classified (and condemned) as evil regardless of its intensity.

Saad Durrani | 13 years ago | Reply This is one post where I would go #ohreally. You told us something that we knew 10 years back. It would have been better if you would have looked into causes.

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Feroz Shah Taghluq pressed by morality brigade to outlaw prostitution asked proponents of ban whether they could marry prostitutes, but no was ready. The same happened under Zia, when Martial Law administrator Punjab asked the anti-prostitution public figures same question but again this proposal was not acceptable to them.

Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply apart from 3-4 replies i havent come across any sane person who could comprehend this article.. the author (who is very familiar to the fact that prostitution is an old profession) is trying to point out that our moral and ethical values are declining since we are playing a part in promoting prostitution. the replies on this article just proved the point of how ignorant we have become to all the felonies of our scoiety. the attitude of "if everything is wrong n bad in our society then why not prostitution" will only make things worse.in fact it has, hence the ads on sex.but we dont care because we are liberals (more than half of the liberals have no clue what that word actually means!) it'll be interesting to see how the "liberals" would react if their next generations would actually induldge in prostitution. point is, any wrong is wrong and should not be justified with a "so what" attitude.it soon becomes a norm in the society. itis a very well written piece of article and is a wake up call. for god's sake please try to understand the authors point of view before posting replies.

qirat | 13 years ago | Reply agree with yew,.@Ali Haider: u think it is a wastage of web page then wht wud b there, which makes it perfect??? @TKhan:

Ali Haider | 13 years ago | Reply No one blames the west. The blame is on the people who follow the west. The so-called west will do what it wants to do and we are no one to stop them from doing it. If we follow them, its is our fault not theirs. Secondly, what we see on the streets these days are the people who want to follow the west. A quote fits them all. "kawa chala hans ke chaal, apni chaal bhi bhool gaya". This has happened to us and this is going to have far reaching effects of the society. Our society is fast becoming like a western society minus all the good things in that society. We will not follow the justice, the cleanliness, the respect, the dignity of work, the equal rights etc. But drinking, drugs, sex are most welcome. We are corrupt. Nothing wrong with the western society as such since its by them and for them.

murassa sanaullah | 13 years ago | Reply protitution ,one of the oldest proffession is adapting most modern techniques,.not a single country can claimed that it has stopped this proffession. so please donot blame anybody .if this profession hasincrease in any country it is a sign that that country is poor and could not provide better socialservices ,employment to its women,but still i again say not a single country can claim that it has stopped prostitutoin.

Sardar Alam Khan | 13 years ago | Reply What could be the things we could amend ourselves author? Like, I am a responsible and civilized citizen of Pakistan", on Facebook. Click my name to follow the link.

Angelos | 13 years ago | Reply We need to look into the root cause of that problem as well as enforce laws which stop prostitution.

Abdul Ahad Khan | 13 years ago | Reply I'm not sure why you're being bashed for the write up. I find it extremely shocking that News Dailies are publishing such ads. Your points about new guest houses cropping up and the increase in number of abortions seems pertinent too! It takes cojones to write on sensitive topics such as this!

Grace | 13 years ago | Reply What a joke. Tell me where there isn't prostitution? It will exist wherever humans are to be found- that's why it's called the oldest profession on earth. Under the Taleban there was still prostitution in Afghanistan; not only of women but abusing little boys in Bache Bazi. Only the influencial or folks with money take part in it whereas morality is enforced for the poor who can be abused. As for morality, look at Saudia Arabia whcih pretends to be so pious but has widespread prostitution rings and sex parties for those who can afford it.

Majid Maqsood | 13 years ago | Reply Blaming on west is like blaming of own constipation on neighbor. It has been Nature of this Nation to shift own responsibility to other and it is only reason we r back in all walks of life, We r truly hypocrite People.

Ghausia | 13 years ago | Reply I'm confused by the comments section of this. The writer just said that she disagrees with the fact that prostitution is not a result of Westernization but rather, due to the problem within us as a society. The point of this was to illuminate how something that dates back to the harems of the oh so glorious Muslim Mughal rulers, and as a commentator pointed out, something that Lahore was famous for, is now blamed on Westernization. Suppose that it is a problem of trying to copy the West. Why don't we adopt their practices of safe sex? Or of legalizing abortion for unmarried girls or rape victims? Or just providing sex-ed in our schools so people know what they're getting into when they decide to sleep around? And yes, I know abortion is illegal because its in the book. That's another argument on separation of religion and state that I won't get into right now.

Mudassar Nawaz | 13 years ago | Reply good one,but i just want to add one thing which i feel strongly prevailing in society is that parents are criminally neglecting their roles to teach their children about right or wrong instead they have only focusing on getting their children admitting in "POSH" schools where they are getting these kind of "RICH" values so parents need to be educated!

jun | 13 years ago | Reply there is nothing new in prostitution in subcontinent.It is there since centuries.

Haji | 13 years ago | Reply If bribery is fine with us, if food adulteration is fine with us, if fake medicines are fine with us, if nepotism is fine with us, if increasing poverty & social injustice are fine with us, then why not prostitution ? ? ?

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply @Amna...you have rightly pointed out. I also remember reading this piece some months back.

Nadeem | 13 years ago | Reply One of the most pointless piece of writing I have read recently is this one.

talha | 13 years ago | Reply All the replies are not based on facts, the reason is not that prostitution is allowed since ages but the fact is that we are promoting it openly. Now we don’t feel hesitated or ashamed to see any unethical thing is happening in front of us. We cannot vigor honesty and ideology into the minds of people; it is the surrounding and the circumstances that change the state of mind of the people. We should work on our young generation for a better tomorrow. At present we are captivating it to all the mal practices as written in the article. No ethics are written down for the telecommunication industry, they just want to sell the generation into the hands of illegal gangs. A very good and eye opening work. keep it up

prasad | 13 years ago | Reply What made me smile was the fact that throughout the article you did not deny that prostitution is a manifestation of westernisation in south asian societies. Ha ha. If you were to check the ruins of Mohenjo daro you would surely find a section for prostitutes.

Ahmad | 13 years ago | Reply Don't worry, sex is better than corruption. sex doesn't corrupt the society as much as corruption.

Abdul Moiz Jaferii | 13 years ago | Reply why do you feel that prostitution is a 'western value', even though you go on to call it a negative one? your article is based in Lahore. do you know what Lahore is built around? Hint: its not the badshahi mosque, but an area quite close to it. Prostitution is as ancient as it is global, it is called the world's first profession. Every empire, regardless of location on the map, has shown evidence of it. why do you conflate it with a negative aspect of westernisation? "sex for sale where are we heading"? seriously? i think a darker aspect of your beloved eastern society is how women are thought of in our society as objects, sold off into marriage either explicitly by the poorer stratas, or implicitly by the richer and allegedly more cultured clans. a woman is married on the basis of her physical attributes, tasked with popping out a child or three, being subservient to a man who claims proprietory right over her, and grows up to teach the same thing to her daughters whilst hypocritically giving her sons a completely different inculcation. wouldnt you say that is a form of legalised prostitution? wouldnt you say its more common than this 'western' sin?

Omar | 13 years ago | Reply Such a nonsensical post! Prostitution has thrived since Pakistans invention. It has nothing to do with "westernization" These poor women dont just wake up one day and decide to become whores. It is the lack of opportunities and poverty that makes people go into this profession. Author could have instead written an article on how to prevent volnurable women from getting into prostitution then write a tirade against our declining moral values. Who ever said we had any moral values? Pakistan continues to have the worst corruption (government or otherwise) and is that not worse then single women getting STDs???

Waqqas Iftikhar | 13 years ago | Reply Its the oldest profession in the world....its not going anywhere in a hurry ayesha...

Leo | 13 years ago | Reply U cant stop it..its the oldest profession in history. Quite pointless and Daft article!!

Amna | 13 years ago | Reply Pretty sure I already read this article on here months ago. Wondering why it's back. Sex sells I guess.

TKhan | 13 years ago | Reply What’s your point? Prostitution is bad? Selling sex is evil? Duh!! Yeah we all know that; but what’s the solution? Banning prostitution won’t work as it’s already banned, then what else? Legalizing it? May be; this will improve the condition of sex-workers and help the authorities in maintaining minimum health and hygiene standards. But for that we have to look at examples around the globe first; is it working in Netherland? If not, why? The phenomenon is not as simple as you are trying to portray. You should have done some research on the subject first or at least should have formed an opinion. Right now the article is just wastage of web-space.

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Sex for sale: Where are we heading?

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