The recent episodes of Pakistani drama Jaan Nisar shed light on the disturbing reality of human trafficking in our society. The illegal trade of young girls is carried out at multiple levels, and as one goes up the power dynamics of this very disturbing truth, the stakes turn higher. Jaan Nisar is throwing light on one such case by essaying Dua’s story.
Jaan Nisar is presented by 7th Sky Entertainment, producers Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi, along with director Mohsin Mirza and writer Rehana Aftab. The drama is airing on Geo Entertainment every Friday to Sunday at 8:00 PM. The ensemble cast features renowned names such as Danish Taimoor, Hiba Bukhari, Haroon Shahid, Sajid Hasan, Hina Bayat, Mahmood Aslam, Dania Enwer, Kinza Malik, Hiba Ali, Sajeeruddin Khalifa, Humaira Bano, and Ellie Zaid.
Here’s how the script is essaying real life stories for many young girls who go missing and why, although law enforcement agencies might try to assist in missing persons, the tragedy could have been prevented in the first place if parents stayed more vigilant and more accepting of their daughters’ daily life choices.
Jaan Nisar – The Story
Dua is a young girl who lives in a very forbidding household. Her father is very strict with his three daughters. However, Dua is not like her other two sisters and yearns for a more happening life. Enter Sarfaraz whom she meets at college and young love blossoms. However, Sarfaraz turns out to be a fraud and after gaining her confidence over time, lures Dua on pretext of merely meeting up for a bit, but then, sells her off to a woman who engages in the business of buying and selling young girls like Dua, exploiting their helplessness, knowing full well they have nowhere to go now.
Jaan Nisar follows Dua’s journey and also exposes all the moments when she could have been saved by her family and law enforcement agencies, from meeting such an awful fate.
1. Dua’s parenting
Dua was not allowed to carry a phone, she grew up in an environment of mistrust and was not really treated like an adult, except, when she was told that she was one. This lack of trust, not being able to meet with friends, listen to music, and engage in normal social activities that all young people crave, made her hide her relationship with Sarfaraz from her family. Or even, made her seek out such a secretive relationship as an outlet from the restrictions and suffocation of home life.
2. Parents refused to forgive her mistake and shunned her from home.
When Dua managed to escape the brothel, her father refused to take her in, not accepting that his daughter’s errors were not only a reflection of her poor life choices and judgement, but also revealed holes in his own parenting, that his daughter could not confide in him or even in her sister, failing to reveal that she had started liking someone.
Because she was not allowed back home, Dua ended up on the streets at the mercy of anyone who wanted to exploit her situation and of course, this time, she fell into the hands of another brothel owner, except, the stakes were higher and escape, practically impossible.
3. The law enforcement agencies are not equipped to care for homeless young people
When Dua’s father refused to recognize her at the police station, the police force should have been equipped to transfer such young men and women to a homeless shelter lest they fall prey to illegal activities on the streets of the city. From drugs to beggary and human trafficking, young people with zero resources are desperate to survive and Dua’s case was exactly the same. A shelter for young girls like Dua whose families have disowned them can provide a place of rehab and also gainful employment. Many more such homes are needed so that young people have a place to go and be safe, and they do not fall prey to those who conduct illegal activities and can exploit them further.
4. The fear of log kya kahenge
When Dua’s father visits the local maulvi sahab, he reprimands him for not accepting his daughter back home. We often consider a child’s mistake a sin and not an error of judgement, and we fail to forgive them whereas we keep expecting God to forgive us repeatedly for our misdeeds. We also try to protect our honor and image in society by thinking that our children will bring us dishonor if we accept their mistake and offer them our protection when they have erred. This is an erroneous mindset that must change.
This lesson from the maulvi sahab that we have to forgive as parents and not disown our children, regardless of their mistakes, not stay in hiding, fearing social backlash, was critical advice that parents must heed if they are to protect their children and give them confidence that no matter what their faults might be, they will always be accepted by their parents.
5. A closer bond with young adults
Young girls such as Dua need to share a closer bond and better communication with their parents. Gone are the days when parents ruled with anger and lack of communication. It is imperative in this day of social media exposure that young people obtain guidance from adults, people they trust, rather than from strangers, and other young people, like Dua’s friend, who introduced her to Sarfaraz. Because she could not even confide in her sisters (who were equally scared of their father), Dua ended up trusting a total stranger. And that trust led her to face grave danger that could have been life threatening.
Jaan Nisar Continues To Intrigue
Jaan Nisar continues to intrigue as the drama enters the world of Zunaira who deals with influential, wealthy clients – those who ensure her business thrives, despite the crackdown of law enforcement agencies on small time human traffickers in the city. As we said, the stakes are higher now. Dua might be saved by Nosherwan but the story of many such girls meets a tragic fate in real life. If only, parents in our society and our agencies worked together, many lives might meet a happier fate…
Jaan Nisar airs three times a week on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on Geo Entertainment. It is directed by Mohsin Mirza and penned by Rehana Aftab. The cast features Danish Taimoor as Nosherwan Ghaznavi, Hiba Bukhari as Dua, Haroon Shahid as Faraz, Sajid Hasan as Aslam, Hina Bayat as Amma Saeein, Mahmood Aslam as Baba Saeein, Dania Enwer as Fiza, Kinza Malik as Fehmida, Hiba Ali as Kashmala, Sajeeruddin Khalifa as Naseer, Shazia Gohar as Kausar, Humaira Bano as Zunaira, Ellie Zaid as Sumbul, Nain Sukh as Sania, Mehboob Sultan as Jaffar, Faiza Khan as Rumi, Sarah Ali as Rida.
