Recently, a Pakistani TV drama serial named ‘Case No 9’ has been in public debate. The theme of this drama is based on true events which are faced by women in daily life. Saba Qamar as Sehar is the lead actor in this; she is a fearless and brave young woman who chooses to fight against the criminal justice system to get justice.
In contrast, actor Faysal Qureshi plays Kamran, a wealthy, arrogant and powerful man who tries to control and overpower Sehar with his ego and influence.
This drama serial is written by well-known Pakistani journalist Shahzeb Khanzada, directed by Syed Wajahat Hussain and produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi. Not only this, but it includes megastars like Saba Qamar, Faysal Quraeshi, Junaid Khan, Rushna Khan, Aamina Sheikh, Gohar Rasheed, Shah Nawaz Zaidi, Hina Bayat, Ali Rehman Khan, Noorul Hassan, Naveen Waqar, Zohra Aamir, Mizna Waqas, Kamran Jilani, Faiza Gillani, Azra Mohyeddin and others.
The story of Case No 9 revolves around harassment, assault and sexual violence (rape). The bold Sehar fights against the powerful person and the criminal justice system. Moreover, it is not a normal fight but a struggle of a woman for justice in a society where social pressures, family pressure, propaganda, legal battles, judicial trials and corruption in the system exist.
The drama shows how a bribe can change the statements of many people who were present at the crime scene and give false statements. Not limited to that, in such a case the main problem is not a lack of evidence but a lack of courage to fight against such kinds of violence cases and get justice in that society where it is considered intimidation, stigma and holes in procedure.
As Faysal Quraishi said, “This drama is the need of the hour. I wanted to be part of something that would make history and leave a lasting impact. We worked very hard on this, and I believe this is a landmark project.”
Meanwhile, Saba Qamar shared, “I never say yes to a project without reading the script. This is Shahzeb Khanzada’s first drama, yet when I read the script of Case No 9, it felt like it had been written by a seasoned playwright.”
In connection to that, in the latest report of Mapping gender-based violence (GBV) in Pakistan 2024, provide a clear analysis of cases of sexual violence (rape), honour killings, abduction and domestic violence. With a high rate of GBV cases with an extremely low rate of convictions. Report findings are 5,339 rape cases, 24,439 abduction cases, 2,238 domestic violence cases and 547 honour killing cases occurred in 2024. On the other hand, the national conviction rate is extremely low: rape 0.5%, honour killings 0.5%, abduction 0.1% and domestic violence 1.3%, which raises a question of urgent reform in the criminal justice system of Pakistan.
These are just the reported cases, and there are uncounted cases which are not reported due to the social pressure, legal challenges, media and social media, and the most important ‘what will people say’ (log kiya kahen ge), which is the main theme idea in Case No 9, which encourages the victims to speak who remain silent on such matters.
This drama portrays how a rape victim goes through so many pressures, from filing a rape case in a court to facing a social stigma. No one willingly helps the rape victims; even sometimes the victims’ own families discourage them from taking any actions against the culprits. In addition, this series also highlights how the criminal justice system works in Pakistan.
Thus, this drama can play an important role in changing a perspective in the GBV cases and give courage to the victims to fight for justice and not to sit silently. This drama can be a game changer to help bring reforms in the criminal justice system of Pakistan.
