La-whore: The Dirty Secrets From Pakistan's Sex Capital

Pakistani film industry - and by extension the modelling - has now been split into two: the Qandeel Balochs and sanctimonious types. There is no denying that casting-couch exists and the actors and actresses that maintain ‘side professions’ and the fashion models that win awards once they agree to certain arrangements with event sponsors. But we don't talk about it. In Lollywood, it was the norm for heroines to have clandestine ‘arrangements’ with film-makers. There are countless whispered stories of even people like Madam Noor Jahan. The actors’ acting didn’t matter and heera mandi entwined with the film industry. It is a double-edged sword, while some actresses may have been abused and misused, but there were many who don’t really mind the casting couch, if the reward was fame and riches overnight. Can local film houses and TV networks be expected to keep a stringent eye on their productions in order to avoid scandals and maintain a clean reputation? Can senior desig...

Transgenders in Pakistan have been in the news for only the wrong reasons. They are tortured, marginalised and generally under represented. A video of a "jajja badmash" beating and torturing a hapless and terrorised transgender made for a painful viewing. The State, despite a sense of sympathy, has nothing but apathy for the transgenders. There are limited employment opportunities and for some even their family members do not extend much support. Due to the aforesaid reasons, a large segment of transgenders end up providing dance, mujra and sexual services in order to sustain themselves. Some have, however mastered the art as you will see below. Lahore has generally been ambivalent towards this gender and has permitted it to go on with its promiscuous ways. They own houses, flats and can generally roam around even though there is some occasional interference in the form of police brutality. Generally the first time you will see a transgender in Lahore will be on the...

Prostitution is regarded as taboo in Pakistan’s muslim-majority society but the practice exists everywhere like an open secret and it has existed for hundreds of years. Pakistan's oldest red light district - Heera Mandi or Shahi Mohalla - was for centuries a hub of traditional erotic dancers, musicians and prostitutes. They were patronised by the Mughals and the muslim aristocrats. During the Mughal era rule in the 15th and 16th centuries, the wealthy even sent their sons to the salons of tawaifs, high-class courtesans that have been likened to Japanese geishas, to study etiquette. With the arrival of the British, dance and sex became intertwined, and Heera Mandi began its long downward spiral. Although most people refer to General Ziaul Haq’s Islamicisation drive for cracking down on prostitution in the Heera Mandi it was actually General Ayub Khan who placed severe restrictions on their  activities. The General Zia Regime brought the death nail for the mughal er...