The Saba Qamar starrer Case no. 9 has delivered one of its most hard-hitting episodes to date, depicting how rape victims are treated in their own families in Pakistan.
In episode 8, Sehar (played by Saba Qamar) is locked in her home for five days after being raped as her family tries to prevent the incident from leaking out. The episode captures the suffocating silence and moral policing that often follows cases of sexual assault, not just from society but from within the home itself.
When Saad’s friend Maryam visits and learns that Sehar has been locked up, the family’s hypocrisy is revealed despite their education and social status. Maryam confronts Sehar’s brother and asks him to stop blaming the victim. She reminds him that Sehar could not have known that the rapist’s family would be gone when she went to their house.
Her decision to speak out breaks the silence that surrounds most such cases. But instead of reflecting on her words, the family once again turns their frustration on Sehar, angry that their so-called honor has been challenged instead of acknowledging the injustice she has suffered.
The scene is not only a dramatic turning point, but a commentary on how families and communities fail rape victims and force them into isolation instead of offering support and justice.
Case No. 9 follows the story of Sehar Moazzam (Saba Qamar), a woman in search of justice after being sexually assaulted. The show features Faysal Quraishi, Gohar Rasheed and Aamina Sheikh in key roles with Junaid Khan, Rushna Khan, Hina Khawaja Bayat, Noorul Hassan, Navin Waqar, Azra Mohyeddin, Ali Rehman Khan, Shahnawaz Zaidi, Ahmed Randhawa, Zohreh Wa Amir, Mizna, Kamran Jeelani and Faiza Gillani also feature in the ensemble cast.
Written by journalist Shahzeb Khanzada and directed by Syed Wajahat Hussain, Case No.9 has been created by 7th Sky Entertainment for Pakinomist Entertainment and produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi.
