Aitebaar premiered on January 24, and the second episode aired recently. Directed by Nadeem Siddiqi and written by Maimoona Aziz, this play stars Zarnish Khan (Pari) in the lead role, married to Hamza (Syed Jibran).

Pari is a doctor and the apple of her husband’s eye. The two are besotted with each other and Hamza comes across as an extremely loving husband, bordering on possessive. When the play opens, we learn that Pari’s younger sister is getting married.

She is extremely close to her sister and brother-in-law. Their closeness makes her own brother and sister-in-law feel as though they are always being sidelined and not given the importance they deserve.

The sister in law’s role is played by Faiza Gillani who resents the closeness between the two sisters. Pari’s husband is shown to be extremely close to his in-laws, so much so that her own brother feels envious at times. Pari and Hamza’s love is put to the test earlier than expected when Pari is kidnapped. Although she manages to escape and the rape attempt is foiled, her husband refuses to believe her.

Hamza is possessive about his wife to the extent that he gets into a scuffle with some boys at his sister-in-law’s mayoon who are repeatedly focusing on and photographing his wife. The idea that his wife might have been raped has tainted and defiled her in his eyes. He feels repulsed by her and locks himself in a room while he attempts to come to terms with his feelings.

Is this normal? Do most doting husbands react like that? Is it possible for a doting husband to undergo a complete transformation overnight? Are his wife’s repeated assurances not enough to restore his faith in her? This play is off to a great start. Rather than beating about the bush, it has raised a very pertinent question.

Somehow, the family’s honour is always associated with the woman. Many rape victims do not file complaints because they can be subjected to uncomfortable and invasive questioning by the police and made to feel even worse.

Is love enough if there is no trust or respect? If a wife goes through a traumatic experience, should she get emotional and moral support or be met with suspicion and revulsion. If a woman is raped, is she to blame for that? Are we going to shame and blame the victim and make her feel as if it were her fault?

This is an age old question. Our society tends to blame and shame rape victims. Instead of offering much-needed support, many blame the woman for ‘leading the man on’. Was she wearing provocative clothes? Was she asking to be raped? Does she mean ‘yes’ when she says ‘no’? Rape is always about power and control.

Somehow, a family’s honour is always associated with the women. Many Rape victims do not file complaints because they can be subjected to uncomfortable and invasive questioning by the police and made to feel even worse. In this case, this lady’s husband, shown to be loving and caring about her cannot come to terms with the fact that his wife might have been assaulted. Despite her repeated assurances, he refuses to believe her.

Zarnish acts well and looks stunning. The possessive husband is also played proficiently and the supporting cast hold their own. The direction the plot takes will be interesting to follow. Will Hamza come to terms with the demons tormenting him and believe Zarnish or is this relationship doomed? Can the husband’s aitebaar be restored before it is too late? Will the play teach us not to abuse and shame rape victims or targets of rape attempt(s) and support them?

It is heartening to see that tough subjects are being explored in television productions. Our aitebaar in television plays is slowly being restored. Trust is after all the most vital component in any relationship.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com