March 7, 2021
TV dramas have gone a bit too far when it comes to trivialising something as grave as suicide and further romanticising it as the ultimate test of true love
Hamza in Fitoor slices his wrist with a fruit knife.
Suicide is a global public health issue and in Pakistan alone, 15-35 people commit suicide every day, with annual reported suicides crossing 13,000, according to the World Health Organization.
That being said, our country’s priceite television seems to have made a joke out of this incredibly serious problem by airing dramas in which characters casually seem to want to end their lives to either seek attention, prove the intensity of their passion for their lover or use suicide attempts as pressure tactics to make their families succumb to their demands. Instead of highlighting the dire consequences of suicide, or showcasing the repercussions of ignoring mental health problems that lead to a person harming themselves and ending their lives, these dramas have misrepresented suicidal tendencies in tragically deplorable ways.