Twenty years ago, Pakistan was a vibrant, secular society with a bustling nightlife.  Women wore jeans and short blouses, left their hair loose and followed the latest fashions. Now their daughters are afraid to go out without the Hijaab.

In this personal, intimate documentary, Pakistani woman Sabiha Sumar looks back through five decades of change. She speaks to Muslim scholars, feminists and family friends to explain why women’s rights in Pakistan have eroded to such a frightening extent.

“I grew up in a secular Pakistan”, states Sabiha. “My father told us about cabarets, bars and casinos and dancing. He did not anticipate the changes around the corner.”

In home movies taken on her second birthday, it’s striking just how modern everyone looks. While the children play musical chairs, their parents lounge around the garden relaxed. Fast-forward several decades and even when bathing in the sea, women are covered from head to foot. “There is no way I can go back to my good old days without a hijaab,” explains family friend Razia.

The veil has become intrinsic to her identity and she sees nothing wrong with having to wear it. “Why should one expose herself to others? I wear makeup for myself, not for others to look at me.”