Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan

Sadia Mahmood* Fouzia Naz**

ABSTRACT

This paper looks at oral histories from notable female producers, directors, writers and actors from the Pakistan television industry, particularly those involved in creating television drama serials. These oral histories are centered around their experiences and perspectives of events that have been recorded in books about the Pakistani television industry, but the point of this study in particular is to put forward personalized perspectives that narrated on a detailed level the way that the larger political contexts. The oral histories have highlighted multiple issues and were able to provide rich detail and anecdotes about the way power structures, legislation, state and censorship affects the day to day operations and logistics of acting, producing, directing and writing.

Key words: Television, Drama, Oral Histories, Censorship.

*Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi **Assistant Professor, Department of Mass communication, University of Karachi

21 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

Introduction

There are multiple ways of reading and understanding representations of the past. Traditionally, official archival documents are the way historians put together narratives about past events. Furthermore, history is often seen as grand and imperial; grounded histories are usually ignored. This paper attempts to unearth accounts of such grounded histories. In particular, this paper examines one such kind of alternative history.

This paper looks at oral histories from notable female producers, directors, writers and actors from the Pakistan television industry, particularly those involved in creating television drama serials. These oral histories are centered around their experiences and perspectives of events that have been recorded in books about the Pakistani television industry, but the point of this study in particular is to put forward personalized perspectives that narrated on a detailed level the way that the larger political contexts. Choosing to study women’s accounts was important because it is important to understand marginalized perspectives since they reveal the most nuanced understandings of how larger histories actually happened on a mundane level by virtue of their marginalization.

The main research question for this study is as follows: In what ways have women television professionals experienced working within the television industry in Pakistan? This question lends itself to smaller sub-questions: 1. What were these women’s observations on the way the television industry functioned in terms of employment? 2. How did they perceive shifts in official work policy with every new government that came in? 3. Are there differences in the drama serials aired during the PTV era as opposed to the private channels’ era? 4. What are their opinions on the way women were represented? 5. What obstacles did they face in their careers?

Methodology

The method used for this study was oral accounts of what it was like to work in PTV. Since the aim of this study is to look at more social accounts of the way PTV was run, this was the most prudent method. Oral accounts of histories help us to shift focus away from overarching narratives about the larger picture, which often erases narratives and experiences of marginalized

22 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan groups1. Furthermore, oral history is a better way to extract meaning from the past. Official histories are able to outline the larger mainstream events, but oral histories offer accounts that draw insight and a cohesive understanding of the undercurrents surrounding those events2. More specifically, oral history has been a useful tool in the reclaiming of women’s history, especially as a challenge to mainstream accounts of history that ignore cultural and political links that are often ignored3. Barbara Freeman’s book on Canadian women in the media and their rights is one such example of how the collection of oral histories from the women working in magazines and other forms of media demonstrates the nature of media content creation4.

This study features nine women who played some sort of role in the TV drama serial industry in Pakistan. They are: 1. Ayesha Khan - Actor 2. Fehmida Nasreen – Producer and Director 3. Haseena Moin – Playwright, Screenwriter and Dramatist 4. Marina Khan – Actor, TV Presenter, Director and Producer 5. Misbah Khalid – Director and Producer 6. Noor ul Huda Shah – Producer and Writer 7. Riffat Humayun – Writer, Director and Producer 8. Rubina Ashraf – Actor, Producer and Director 9. Sania Saeed – Actor, Host, Theatre Artist and Director.

Context

The appearance of PTV created a rush of new technological media stimulation in Pakistan. However, since its beginning, PTV was firmly run by the administrations of the time. Every time the government changed, so did the structure and substance of this medium. Understanding the capability of this medium as the most dominant means to create narratives made it a key tool of the State. It was known to be the mouth organ of the government. The

1 Paul Thompson, “The Voice of the Past: Oral History,” The Oral History Reader, ed. Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson (London: Routledge, 1998), 21-28. 2 Allesandro Portelli, “What Makes Oral History Different,” The Oral History Reader, ed. Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson (London: Routledge, 1998), 63-74. 3 Joan Sangster, “Telling our stories: feminist debates and the use of oral history,” Women’s History Review 3 no. 1 (1994): 5-28, DOI: 10.1080/09612029400200046. 4 Barbara M. Freeman, Beyond Bylines: Media Worker’s and Women’s Rights in Canada (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2011.p 31 23 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

control on PTV was not only practiced on the content but rather likewise on its workers. The history of PTV is illustrates how State power interacted with media personnel and created a clear power dynamic. With each new political setup set up PTV would experience radical structural changes which were apparent with immediate impact. It was unexpected and to a degree comic. This applied to all the genres of content being screened.

Field Marshal Ayub Khan

The proliferation of TV in Pakistan was imagined and actualized in General Ayub's period. Since its beginning it was apparent that the TV will be under direct control of the administration arrangements. In his inaugural speech he stated, “Government will have major control, a major share in whatever form the new corporation takes, and government will have the main say in the policy of programs and in projecting views and ideas and so on.”5

The enlisting and terminating of TV staff were additionally subject to the different preferences of the higher administration. Amid the debut occasion in Rawalpindi, the president was made to sit on a seat which was freshly painted. The president sat on it and the wet paint stained his suit. Later, the president went in to assess the TV station and found a flock of birds nesting. The PTV director Z.A Bukhari's was terminated soon after6. By the end of Ayub’s era, PTV was established as a government mouthpiece that was used by the administration to broadcast the achievements of the state to the point of falsehood.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Under Bhutto’s government, there were hopes that the socialist PPP would loosen the reins on PTV, but it was proven false. At this point, the independence of Bangladesh was a huge loss for the government, especially since many blamed Bhutto himself for starting the war. This conflict meant that PTV was still strictly monitored and it was made sure that any hint of anti-state sentiment was suppressed.

5 Dawn Newspaper, URL: https://www.dawn.com/news/1147037. accessed on 02 Jan 2012 6 Akhtar Waqar Azeem, Hum Bhi Wahin Mojood They. (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2014) 24 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan

A drama competition was held in 1973, and the five PTV stations were asked to send submissions. Karachi’s station submitted a play called “Sangsaar” written by Haseena Moin. Although the play was the winner of the competition according to the judges, the Director Program Agha Nasir was summoned by the higher authorities and reprimanded about the critique of current political affairs in the play. After this event, the award was given to some other play7.

There are some more incidents that illustrate how even the slightest errors that accept the leaders of the time had very serious repercussions for the employees and directors of PTV. Once Bhutto was giving a speech and during recording process some technical fault arose due to which Bhutto got angry at the technical workers. After the recording is over a government officer was left to supervise the editing of the speech to make sure that the part where Bhutto got angry was completely deleted8. Another incident was the sign that PTV used to show with said ‘Intizaar Farmaaye’. Once, a comic was made out of the sign and depicted a man who is sitting under a tap waiting for water. This was interpreted to be a joke about the current water shortage. As a consequence, Issaq Ansari the director was suspended immediately9.

General Zia-ul-Haq

It was during General Zia Ul Haq’s Martial Law that PTV was used most obviously as a propaganda tool. Zia did not allow any representation of Bhutto, and instead made sure that his speech on 5th July 1977 was aired live. In the coming times PTV faced the same situation where General Zia used this medium over and over again for his propaganda: “….the use of defamation was raised to be a fine art during the regime of the late General Zia-ul-Haq. By the irony of history, this time round it was the PPP and Bhutto, who became the recipients of the same favor that they gave to others. “Zulm Ki Dastaan”, a series of fantastic stories purporting to be the true stories of those, who had suffered under Bhutto was given prime time treatment; no opportunity was lost

7 Agha Nasir, Gulshan-e-Yaad, (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2005) 8 Opt.cit., Akhtar Waqar Azeem, Hum Bhi Wahin Mojood They. (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2014). 9 Ibid. 25 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

to malign Bhutto, his family, his party, even during the murder trial”10

By new presidential order, all media content was recorded and sent to the president. He was so rigorous in his control of television that he would sit and watch all of them and send word to the PTV officials about what he liked and disliked, even in the middle of the night. Sometimes officials were even called to the presidential house for questioning11. For Zia, PTV was a chance to disseminate content that fell within his interests. For that to happen, the president had to monitor every little thing that PTV aired, and he did. He constantly sent in feedback and orders. Moreover, he imposed many new rules and guidelines that seemed religious in nature, but it was soon realized that were inherently political.

“Throughout Zia’s rule, there was no end to restrictions and guidelines. His interest was so intense that the PTV staff began calling him “Super Program Manager””12. Many times, broadcasts were stopped in the middle. Many PTV personnel left the field or moved away. Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ahmed Faraz were completely banned from PTV transmissions because of their leftist anti- state activism. Once, they came to visit Akhtar Waqar Azeem, who was the general manager, who was issued a show cause letter the very next day13.

Benazir Bhutto

The democratic elections after years of strict military censorship brought many immediately noticeable changes in the content aired by PTV. It was finally allowed to air musical programs and political plays. The content that had been censored for years made its way to the screen. Officially, the state still could interfere in the content to a great extent. During both of her short tenures from 1988-90 and 1993-96, she maintained a non-interfering stance throughout. At this point PTV had become self-censored, but now there was room for people to create content that wasn’t conservative.

10 Shahida Kazi, Black, White and Grey, (Karachi: Shahida Kazi, 2005). 11Akhtar Waqar Azeem, Hum Bhi Wahin Mojood They. (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2014) 12 Agha Nasir, This is PTV, Pakistan: Pakistan Television Corporation, 2012) 13 Akhtar Waqar Azeem, Hum Bhi Wahin Mojood They. (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2014) 26 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan

Mian Nawaz Sharif

In contrast to Benazir Bhutto, Mian Nawaz Sharif was very severe in the way he administered the media. The PTV was seen as an extension of his government and so it was expected that the channel be run in the government’s complete interest. The conservative policies echoed Zia’s policies. PTV was also once again subject to the vanity of political leaders. It was ordered that no shot can be taken in which the back of Nawaz Sharif’s head could be seen since he was balding14.

It was in Nawaz Sharif’s first tenure, that a policy was announced for all women to cover their head on TV, no matter what she was doing. Many PTV officials, both men and women refused to work under this policy. The policy was relaxed in his second tenure for commercial purposes.

General Pervez Musharraf

Musharraf’s dictatorship saw the unencumbered flow of information through advanced television technology. This is why Musharraf thought it best to not interfere in media content in the entertainment sector. However, he still monitored the news and political affairs section. “The General’s policy was considered unbiased, except for matters related to Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. Even a mention of the names on PTV amounted to Broadcast Blasphemy”.15

This was the era when private channels were allowed to launch in Pakistan. These channels were focused on business and profits and therefore the tone of television content shifted dramatically. It was at this point that PTV became irrelevant. It was during his tenure that he established the Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA) to keep some sort of control on the private channels. At the end of his tenure, Musharraf tried to ban these channels because of the power they had gained in the ability to ask questions and unearth sensitive information. However, that move failed miserably, since by that time, the internet provided access to news online anyway.

14 Akhtar Waqar Azeem, Hum Bhi Wahin Mojood They (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2014) 15 Agha Nasir, This is PTV (Pakistan: Pakistan Television Corporation, 2012)

27 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

Analysis

After the rigorous exercise of taking oral histories of these successful women in the television industry, it was imperative to make an overall analysis of their accounts. Certain patterns and themes emerged from these histories. The themes that came out strongly in these oral histories are: 1. Entrance in the field 2. Development of career 3. Role of family 4. Politics, policy and drama 5. Discriminatory experiences 6. Opinions on contemporary trends

1. Entrance in the field

For most of the respondents which were actors and writers, the entry of their field was accidental; through friends and acquaintances. Based on what they said, there is no structured route to gain entry in the entertainment industry. Often people were brought in on an informal basis. Ayesha Khan quoted an incident in her interview where director Aslam Azhar was dissatisfied with an actresses’ work, so he brought in his own wife to play the role16.

In contrast, the directors appointed in PTV were hired through advertisements and formal procedure. In the absence of any academy for the performing arts, the only way to enter is through contacts and sustenance in the field was achieved only if surrounded by powerful individuals or groups, which makes it obvious why some actors, writers and directors work with their own preferred set of people in the industry. The women who did not have a support network even when they were employees of PTV found themselves facing barriers and had a tough time removing them and were often unsuccessful in such an attempt. Haseena Moin narrated: “Then PTV asked me to write the adaptation of another book. I asked them if I could write an original one, a request which perplexed them, because till then no original story had been aired…They told me that I was new and inexperienced and that I might reach a mental block in the middle of the drama, or maybe what I write may not be according to their standard. I was told that if such a

16 Ayesha Khan (Actor) in discussion with the author, March 2013. 28 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan

situation arises, then they will face trouble, because nothing could be changed in a week’s time. I told them that I will make sure that they don’t have a complaint. Iftikhar Arif and Mohsin Ali greatly supported me for this, and even Burhan Sahib. They said let her [me] do it and that I will be able to do it’’.17

This shows how even when female writers were hired, they were expected to do what the higher administration wanted to do. It was only when men vouched for the women that they were allowed to do what they envisioned. This is the way in which women in the field had to become experienced and powerful; through building networks of men who they had to impress. It was only after years of working within these networks that women like Haseena Moin became too established to overpower. PTV did however make it easier for the younger generation to learn and then gain entry in private channels. The invaluable training that PTV provided to all actors, writers and directors gave them the insight in the field and trained them which made precious breeds of professionals.

2. Development of career

In the oral histories collected once trend that came out very strong was the career path of all the respondents could be divided into two eras.

The Era of PTV

During the PTV era the developmental path was more or less the same for all actors, writers and directors. They all belonged to one institution and were given a structured pattern to work within. They also faced the same organizational censorship and personal barriers, but the most affected lot were the directors appointed by PTV, as they did not have any option of leaving or resisting the restrictions. Actors and writers however had an option to quit projects and at many instances they did so too as well. Still writers and directors were coerced into situations where they had to make artistic compromises. For example, Noor ul Huda Shah narrates an incident that clearly illustrates the difficult conditions under which negotiations over content took place:

17 Haseena Moin (Playwright, Screenwriter and Dramatist) in discussion with the author, January 2013 29 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

“The characters included a husband and a wife who had a child, but the husband was involved with another woman, so the story had come to a point where the wife is no longer willing to live with him. People got involved in that character…They were discussing ways to get the wife back with her husband, but I knew that if the wife goes back him, then the drama was pointless. The first meeting I had in Quetta was with Zaman Sahab, MD, who asked me to look for ways of getting the wife back; otherwise there would be chaos in the society. Haider Imam Rizvi also said the same. I could not think of anything because my child was also sick. I kept on thinking for three days. I remember I was sitting in Haider Imam’s office where I had my kid in one hand and I was writing the script with the other hand. Everything was ready. The artist was ready to shoot the last episode. People started to discuss that the drama will lose its attraction because of the situation. I then wrote its climax. When the wife was coming down the stairs, she saw her child’s toys everywhere. The child asked how she would make her way out of the situation. She looked at her husband and said that she will stay in the house, but as the mother of the child and not his wife. They liked the ending. It was always difficult for me when I was working in PTV’’.18

The era of privatization.

After privatization came in the work dynamics changed drastically, commercial interests became the dictators of the content. Now all the personnel in the industry had more opportunities and avenues for their talent however the barriers remained intact. Herd mentality existed and those who did not comply were out casted.

18 Noor-ul-Huda Shah (Producer and Writer) in discussion with the author, February 2013. 30 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan

3. Role of family

There were a range of different descriptions of the role of the family in the interviews. Ayesha Khan cited her family as a moral anchor. She described her father as “honest and handsome”19 and also discussed how her mother, aunts and grandmother would keep a check on her and her actions which she then relates to her rejection of all kinds of flirtatious behaviour by men20. On the other hand, Fehmida Nasreen expressed antagonism towards her family members. To quote Nasreen, “When I entered the field suddenly became their niece as I was famous. They (aunts and uncles) treated us very badly when my father died. They all came together to object on our education and asked us to wear abayas.” 21

On the other hand, Ms.Shah discussed rebellion but with the support of her father: “The kind of a woman I was at that age … I was very bold and outspoken and somebody who was never scared of boys. I did not have a brother and I had a big age gap with my older sister. So basically, I mostly spent my childhood alone. I used to share the problems that a girl faces during the process of growing up with my father. There was a rebellious girl inside of me’’.22

However, even with the women expressing that they had support from their husbands, they were usually within the domains of traditional gender roles in married couples. Riffat Humayun describes a list of her duties:

“I believe that no matter how understanding your husband is, you cannot come back from work and expect your husband to bring you a cup of tea, because we are not brought up in such a society. It is always expected that the wife is supposed to do all the household chores. I always gave my children freshly cooked food. Although we had servant as we lived in residential houses located within the university area. I never slept late, not even on Sundays, as my husband is an early riser. Paying attention on children with all the office work was also difficult’’.23

19 Ayesha Khan (Former Actor) in discussion with the author, March 2013. 20 Ibid. 21 Fehmida Nasreen (Producer and Director) in discussion with the author, February 2013. 22 Noor-ul-Huda Shah (Producer and Writer) in discussion with the author, February 2013. 23 Riffat Humayun (Writer, Director and Producer) in discussion with the author, March 2013. 31 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

Almost all the women respondents were praiseful for their family support. They accepted that the possibility to work in a field which unlimited and unpredictable work hours and very less personal space, their family provided the support required excelling in the field. In the absence of a strong family network women also considered PTV as their home and the workers as their families lending encouragement and appreciation. A very strong point that came across was the guilt complex expressed by all. They felt that their family was their first priority and it had to be catered first. They took great pride in sacrificing their career advancement when it came to their family especially children.

4. Politics, policy and drama

PTV as an institution is state controlled and was always under the watchful eye of the ministry of information. These women who worked under these stressful environments also felt the pinch at one point or the other of their careers. The policies regarding the female representation on entertainment side of business were always subjective and gender biased. Women artists left the projects when they were forced to cover their heads and not to apply makeup. Rubina Ashraf describes:

“The first time I realized the role of censorship board was when we were doing a play, in 1992. We were going out for a recording in the morning where we were told to cover the heads of our actresses in the dramas we planned to record. So, when we started KASAK we knew that we had to cover our heads. We had to go from one designer to the other because heroines at that time were outgoing women and our stories used to revolve around them’’.24

Sania Saeed also took a strict stance against policies like these: “One policy came the “dupatta policy‟ during Nawaz Sharif’s first tenure and we had to do a drama called “Kasak” which Sahira Kazmi’s comeback serial. Sahira didn’t do it because of the dupatta policy, then it came to me, then I also didn’t do it because of the dupatta policy, even though they had to write the entire character, because of the age difference between us. They took out the child, other life things, then it went to Rubina and she thought that it wasn’t a matter of conflict and she did it. This is in no way a comment on

24 Rubina Ashraf (Actor, Director and Producer) in discussion with the author, March 2013. 32 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan anyone’s capability as an actor, she is a very capable actor, but it is how you perceive yourselves in your respective profession and in your society’’.25 The subjects were also scrutinized constantly and any such topic which hinted towards the liberation of women was frowned upon and removed from the transmission. Other kinds of political statements were censored. Noor ul Huda Shah narrates:

“I was once called to explain a dialogue. There were many bold dialogues that I wrote, but the dialogue which they called me for was, “Ab tum dekho gay aik ghaat pe shair aur bakri kis tarhan pani pisakty hain.” and I told them that it clearly meant that a lion and a goat will drink water together one day. They asked me what I wanted to convey through that dialogue. I told them straight-forwardly that I meant what I wrote. They wanted to omit it for some reason, and I agreed. Being a Sindhi was a problem during Zia’s time’’.26 Many such plays were stopped in the middle without any explanation. The actors faced the brunt when they were not allowed to work, writers who were not allowed to write the way wanted to and directors who were issued show cause notices for their production.

Nowadays they fear the unknown. With no guide line they do not know what may be objected upon and by which faction of the society. The reactions are many and at various levels which has them even more insecure. One wrong word, move, dress or action may bring forth the wrath of any section of the society. Sania Saeed compares the two eras: “If I was in disagreement, I left it. It was that simple for me. For me they were never presented as a conflict, for me I had more problems in talent and capacity building, in adjusting with the medium of television. Now I am facing more challenges, when there is so called freedom. Now I don’t have characters to do, I have to fight a lot that why this woman is doing these things. Why is the story and why is this woman like this? Now I feel this time presents more challenges for me’’.27

25 Sania Saeed (Actor, Host, Theatre Artist and Director) in discussion with the author, February 2013. 26 Noor-ul-Huda Shah (Producer and Writer) in discussion with the author, February 2013. 27 Sania Saeed (Actor, Host, Theatre Artist and Director) in discussion with the author, February 2013. 33 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

5. Discriminatory experiences

To say that women in Pakistan face discriminatory behavior is an understatement and television was and is no different, where women were discriminated against because of their gender, especially when the Zia era started, and the veil was enforced on women. These working women who were producing entertainment for the nation were distressed due to the individual and organizational discrimination. Female directors were not given their due credit and were kept off the loop in the program planning. A quote from Misbah Khalid’s interview narrates an example:

“Nobody took me seriously, because there were not many women directors in the field. People used to look towards my husband even though I was the one who brought ideas to the table. We had fights also. When I did some successful plays then he agreed that I knew what I was doing. We then started doing things separately. I used to think that if I were a man, I would have gotten more respect. That is wrong. I put on weight just to be in power. I used to scream on the sets just to show who the boss is’’.28

The female actors were belittled but since they had advantage of not being tied by any contract they preferred to walk away. Even in the age of privatization female directors were challenged about their authority and they had to prove themselves to gain the respect of the all-male technical staff. All these women say one point or the other that “I was so strong that nobody dared”; something that men never have to bother with.

6. Opinions on contemporary trends

Their opinions on the television these days were surprising. Although they all admitted that PTV monopolized the television entertainment and that they were at times not allowed to have the freedom that they would like to have still they disapproved of the current media scenario. According to them the unchecked freedom and unstructured work practices has led to extremely twisted work ethics, where freedom is granted to show woman as a victim but there is no freedom to raise serious issues faced by the women of Pakistan. They also criticized the role of the sponsor and ratings in dictating the content. Misbah Khalid argued:

28 Misbah Khalid (Director and Producer) in discussion with the author, March 2013. 34 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan

“Our dramas have lost their charm because of ratings. People wish to see dramas where women are beaten up and mistreated. But the school of thought where we are from, we have learnt that people can be taught through entertainment medium. You might have seen dramas where lower class girls fall in love with elderly men or their sister’s husband. If we ask them to stop these types of dramas, then they argue that they are getting ratings from such dramas. I am totally against this’’.29

They all agreed that objectification of women has increased manifold and that whether a woman is crying or dancing in any character, it is mostly meaningless. Marina Khan put it very simply, “The play is shot beautifully, but then again you are not getting ratings. Then dramas in which you see women being burnt to death get good ratings. This confuses my mind. The ratings that you get are from women who are oppressed and are not a part of society who are enlightened’’.30

Conclusion

The television industry in the PTV era was limited to one channel only and the structure of the organization made it possible for all these women to feel safe and secure. Professionally the hired directors felt that the higher administration of the PTV did not help them, but the technical and creative staff were their unbending support. It is interesting to note that the support came from every quarter without any gender bias when it came to work environment and still these women were not the decision makers and did not have power over the bureaucratic red tape that bothered the women in PTV. In the private sector these women found strength with each other. Now plays are being conceived, written, acted, directed and produced by women only and the level of comfort is greater than it ever was. However, we must understand that in such commercially motivated content money and success is the deciding factor and that is why we see that artistic side of the medium is being compromised.

29 Misbah Khalid (Director and Producer) in discussion with the author, March 2013. 30 Marina Khan in discussion with the author, March 2013. 35 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

The oral histories have highlighted multiple issues and were able to provide rich detail and anecdotes about the way power structures, legislation, state and censorship affects the day to day operations and logistics of acting, producing, directing and writing. These oral histories also gave us a comprehensive look into the personal lives of these women and how the personal affected the political. This helps us to understand past events not just as a series of events but through the eyes of the people who lived through these times and suffered the consequences of state policies.

36 Women in Television; an Oral History Project of Women Working In Television Industry of Pakistan

References

Agha Nasir, Gulshan-e-Yaad, (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2005)

Agha Nasir, This is PTV, Pakistan: Pakistan Television Corporation, 2012)

Akhtar Waqar Azeem, Hum Bhi Wahin Mojood They. (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2014)

Allesandro Portelli, “What Makes Oral History Different,” The Oral History Reader, ed. Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson (London: Routledge, 1998)

Barbara M. Freeman, Beyond Bylines: Media Worker’s and Women’s Rights in Canada (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2011.

Dawn Newspaper Joan Sangster, “Telling our stories: feminist debates and the use of oral history,” Women’s History Review 3 no. 1 (1994): 5-28, DOI: 10.1080/09612029400200046.

Paul Thompson, “The Voice of the Past: Oral History,” The Oral History Reader, ed. Robert Perks and Alistair Thomson (London: Routledge, 1998)

Shahida Kazi, Black, White and Grey, (Karachi: Shahida Kazi, 2005)

37 Jhss, Vol. 6, No. 2 , July to December, 2015

Interviews 1. Ayesha Khan - Actor 2. Fehmida Nasreen – Producer and Director 3. Haseena Moin – Playwright, Screenwriter and Dramatist 4. Marina Khan – Actor, TV Presenter, Director and Producer 5. Misbah Khalid – Director and Producer 6. Noor ul Huda Shah – Producer and Writer 7. Riffat Humayun – Writer, Director and Producer 8. Rubina Ashraf – Actor, Producer and Director 9. Sania Saeed – Actor, Host, Theatre Artist and Director.

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