There is a common theme that is often observed in the media that we consume, especially TV dramas, which involves the almost demonization of the mother-in-law figure. This is however an appropriate reflection of our culture which pits mothers and daughter in law against one and other. Perhaps, the most appropriate and fitting description for this fraught dynamic is a battle of power. Society and culture had reduced the women’s world to the four walls of her household. This is then reinforced over and over again through generations that the most coveted place for the women is the as the keeper of the household. This meant that often women felt that the household was the only platform on which they could exert meaningful power within the system. The daughter in law is then pitted as an opponent to that supposed power and influence that the mother-in-law veils, thus leading to friction between the two. While it is important to note that the above-given claim is a broad generalization, the fact remains that often women are so suppressed within the idea of traditional roles that this dynamic develops and is then further fanned by the representation in the media.

Ary Digital is set to unveil its latest drama that focuses on the foray of women in the army in various categories. This comes on the tails of the telefilm ‘Aik Thi Nigar’ which details the life and achievements of Lt. Gen. Nigar Johar. This seems to notify a shift in the marketing strategy that the army seems to use, as both of these media pieces where produces in collaboration with the media wing of the armed forces, ISPR. The question remains, does this signify a change towards a more women-centric approach whereby women are included more directly in the narrative of service and sacrifice to country rather than the previous roles of secondary characters, as mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters of the brave men who performed the primary act of service and sacrifice? While it is certainly true that women in these dramas are seen, perhaps for the first time on our TV screens, to engage directly with themes of service and nationalism in manner that was previously reserved only for the menfolk. However, the fact remains that women’s role in the Pakistani armed forces has almost exclusively been supplementary to main fighting force which is made entirely of men. Women serve in roles of doctors, nurses, teachers, technicians, lawyers etc, all of which are essentially support branches to the main elements of the armed forces, which is the operations branch, into which till date there has been little to no foray by the ‘fairer’ sex. The fact that women are restricted to these auxiliary and supported positions in an increasingly mechanized army also ties in with the traditional roles of women being considered as a support of their male peers. Thus, the question remains, to what extent are these portrayal of women in the armed forced a deviations from the created script of ‘acceptable’ roles for women in our society?