Picture: Geo.TV
Ali Gul Pir is one of the most amazing artists we have in Pakistan. The singer-cum-comedian is often seen making people laugh with his tongue in cheek humor. However, in his latest interview with Frieha Altaf, Ali has shared some traumatic childhood memories that he never shared before but reflect in his work.
Ali shared that he was a victim of domestic abuse. He added, “You can see why I pick up these topics because there is a very personal reason. I started talking about these things [abuse, domestic violence] before it was cool to be feminist. In 2012, nobody was talking about these issues. But I have been doing it [talking about sensitive topics] because of my own personal experiences and trauma that I have been through.”
Recalling his childhood, Ali said, “I’m not sure if my brother had similar experiences but I know my mom and I went through it. That is just something [I still deal with]. I still go to therapy. It’s been seven, eight years and I have been dealing with it since.”
Frieha Altaf while talking about domestic violence said, “But domestic violence isn’t just limited to spouses, right? The children are involved in it. In our culture, violence has been rather normalised; which isn’t how it should be. Maybe that’s why there have been so many cases [of abuse] as of late. We also spoke about child sexual abuse, you had raised your voice [about that] as well. You know the ordeal [of being sexually abused] I have gone through in my childhood. I could relate to you because I was very rebellious when I was growing up as well.”
Ali Gul Pir agreed with Altaf and added, “But my abuse was similar to yours. It wasn’t at the hands of my parents, but I feel these things are very important to talk about. It took you how long to talk about it [your abuse]?” She replied, “34 years.”
Ali further said, “I’m getting there. I am not there yet but I am working hard to get there [to talk about it]. One of the main issues is that worldwide, we talk about girls being sexually abused. However, in Pakistan, we see a staggering number of cases of boys being violated sexually. There’s easy access. Their [abusers] rationale is that abusing women is Zina but if it’s with men, then it’s forgiven. This is very messed up. The street kids, the boys we see at bus stations, in villages – the abuse is very common. Bacha Baazi, as we call it – it’s a big issue.”
The complete interview is available at Frieha’s podcast.
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