Jama Taqseem: Let’s Talk About Harassment In the Family (And Not in Coded Language)

The scene last night had viewers in its spell. Zeeshan was caught just in the nick of time by his chachu Qais who finally chose not to ignore the warnings sent his way. But it was the manner in which the scene played out that gripped viewers and sent out a message that we hope, opens Pandora’s box in families that shy away from the topic.

“Cousins, bhai aisa karte hain.” When you dismiss a young girl’s muted plea, you open the door for one more intruder to exploit the situation. Sidra’s mother Rashida responded how countless other parents might have responded in the past and present, either brushing the incident under the carpet or not paying heed to what their child is trying to voice.

Rashida was a prime example of a mother so caught up in her world, of housekeeping, in-laws management and on the surface mothering, where mothering meant reprimanding a child for poor grades, packing their school lunch or making sure they’re back home on time for school. Mothering also meant making sure her children are obedient, compliant to the rules and social hierarchy set down in the joint family home, and possibly, therefore, not raising a voice against what could be, should be, considered harassment.

And it didn’t start with Zeeshan physically or verbally harassing Sidra. It started with Zeeshan dropping a chocolate wrapper on the floor and commanding Maria to pick it up. It started with Shafaq posing for selfies on her new phone infront of her cousins Sidra and Maria, knowing they cannot have one. It started with Shafaq eating chocolates before them, not offering them any. Actually, it started with Nighat bhabi, their mother, lording it over Rashida, making her do more than her fair share of housework. It started with the mother and father in-law, the children’s dadi and dada, the rightful peacekeepers and decision makers of the household who could not call out but instead, facilitated the harassment and bullying that Rashida and her family underwent because they refused to step in and set things right.

Joint families are often witness to such a system where children are raised by a seemingly alert community, but in fact, by no one in particular. Mothers are busy tending to a full house and children either get away with a lot, as in Shafaq and Zeeshan’s case, or absorb and suffer a lot more than their fair share, like Sidra and Maria.

The examples could be before them – Nighat is not the perfect example to follow for her children. She too, might be a victim of the joint family and has her own bone to pick with the world, being the eldest daughter in-law, the rules must have come down hard on her, and as history would have it, she learnt to pass the buck – the abused bully the weaker ones, and hence, become the abuser themselves, just like Nighat did with Rashida and her children in turn with Rashida’s children.

But what Jama Taqseem did differently was show how the matter of Zeeshan’s harassment was not subdued, hushed up or silenced. Qais proceeded to call up his parents and very soon, just like that, the entire family was part of the conversation.

This is a novelty in Pakistani dramas where a heinous crime perpetrated by a family member is often covered up till the very last till it finally blows over like a bomb, with audiences waiting for the final reveal.
Not just that, but in doing so, the drama creators have now set themselves up for finding a solution within the narrative – a solution as to how Zeeshan will be dealt with, how his parents, Hameed and Nighat will deal with the aftermath and how the joint family that prides itself in a system that keeps everyone together rather than breaking them apart, arrive at a solution that will not only satisfy audiences but also serve critical messages to viewers across the screen who might have experienced something similar.

Jama Taqseem so far has not disappointed. Hoping the drama delivers the answers we need!