Concupiscence: a dive into Lahore’s underground sex trade

An active underground sex trade has long been Lahore’s secret de Polichinelle, with most having some idea of its existence. In fact, if you were to ask the locals, most would likely tell you, in hushed tones or with childish smirks, that the practice “dispersed” after President Zia-ul-Haq — who ordered the passing and enforcement of the Hudood Ordinances in 1979 — came to power, and that it has now “mostly shifted online”.

Their remarks seem to come from a collective understanding among most of the city’s residents that the practice still continues, only having become more hidden and less accessible, and among some from the notion that it cannot be abolished; such as a columnist at MinuteMirror’s Lahore office, who told me that prostitution had not died, rather, it had evolved and that “it will continue to evolve”.

The view of the public as to the current state of prostitution in Lahore is consistent with what has been reported and investigated in the media, however, little information has been presented as to the current state and specifics of the illegal trade.

According to information reviewed by MinuteMirror, which contains several telephone numbers, addresses, and other details pertaining to the city’s translucent trade of “sexual services”, the practice is more widespread than many would assume, though some of it seems to be dwindling under pressure from authorities and fear of being reported, and consequently, raided.

The information reveals that many of the city’s brothels operate in plain sight, under the guise of massage parlours offering conventional and legal services to clients. The services — which involve different types of massages and cost around three to eight thousand rupees — are usually genuine, with such brothels also operating as legitimate massage parlours. 

However, once inside the massage room, clients are free to ask for a number of sexual acts, with each masseuse charging a different amount on top of the massage fee, usually starting at two to three thousand rupees and going all the way up to thirty to forty thousand rupees, depending on the act and the brothel itself, with certain “high-end” parlours charging extra.

Among the establishments operating under such a model was a high-end club located in the Gulberg area, which also had masseuses who only offered specific services, or didn’t offer any at all, seemingly as they saw fit. Patrons preferred the establishment for its relative security and protection from police raids. MinuteMirror was not able to confirm whether the club was aware of the illegal activity being conducted behind closed doors. 

MinuteMirror also received the addresses of several traditional brothels, located around Lahore in areas like Anarkali, Johar Town, DHA, Faisal Town, Barkat Market, Samnabad, Data Ganj Baksh Town, and more. These brothels offer significantly lower prices, charging as little as three thousand rupees for one “shot” (which lasts until the person ejaculates) — though the more common price is around five thousand — in exchange for a greater risk of getting caught in a police raid, as well as usually messy and filthy conditions. Still, the brothels seem to get a significant number of willing customers, evidenced by their extensive presence in the city.

Most of the brothels make use of online messaging services to connect with their clients, as well as keep them up to date on their “stock” by sending them pictures of their available prostitutes.

However, as a consequence of their vulnerability to the authorities, many brothels have become significantly more afraid of being found out or reported, and as such many operate under a reference-only basis, as opposed to the massage parlours, which are open to any individual, in the know or not.

One source, who runs his own brothel in the city, told MinuteMirror that he used to accept new customers without a reference, until someone reported the brothel and got it raided, forcing him to move his “setup”. Now, he only accepts customers referred by those he “trusts”.

The city is also home to a number of prostitutes operating without the involvement of a pimp or anyone else, referred to as “independents”. These prostitutes often own apartments or flats in high-end residential areas like Bahria Town or the DHA, which they use both as a living space and as a den to offer their illegal services. Such prostitutes are few, and many of them are housewives, mothers, or older women — though that isn’t the case for all — looking to make more money. Additionally, they often charge much more than the traditional brothel, normally asking for at least ten to twenty thousand rupees for one “shot”, subject to negotiation, and also often work on a reference-only basis.

One such “independent” said over text that she charged at least ten thousand rupees for her services, when prompted and provided with a reference, which she quickly dropped to five thousand, sending an address to a studio apartment in Bahria Town.

MinuteMirror also uncovered and gained access to private groups and networks, operating online, which allowed members to share information and reviews about the city’s brothels and prostitutes. Users often critiqued the “quality” of the service they received by rating the prostitutes’ breasts, buttocks, and “personality” — corresponding to their willingness to perform sexual acts in the moment — out of ten. Additionally, they used terms like “chubby”, “clean”, “fat”, “sloppy”, and “skinny” to describe the prostitutes and the nature of their illegal services. 

One of the groups contained more than 800 separate users, and also contained requests and advertisements for drugs such as weed and MDMA (also known as ecstasy), another gave directions to visit a brothel offering a prostitute that would be considered a minor under Pakistani law. Various other references to and requests for underage prostitutes were made in the group.

Pakistan is an Islamic country bound by the Shariah (Islamic law derived mainly from the Quran and Hadith). The Quran clearly refers to and outlaws prostitution, premarital sex, and adultery as one of the major sins against Allah (24:33, 23:5-7, 17:32). 

However, the country only officially outlawed such offenses in 1979, after President Zia-ul-Haq’s promulgation of the Zina Ordinance, which illegalized premarital and extramarital sex, and legislated their penalties, subject to conditions specified by the Quran and Hadith. An amendment made to the Pakistan Penal Code in 2006 — as part of the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act — also officially proscribed the buying and selling of prostitutes, with any found guilty by a court to be liable to a fine, as well as up to twenty-five years of imprisonment.

Write to Hamza Farid at hamza.farid1@icloud.com