The recent incident of a mob of men harassing and assaulting a helpless female TikToker Ayesha Akram has outraged Pakistanis.
Unfortunately, the unfortunate incident happened on Independence Day in front of Minar-e-Pakistan. Since the incident, Ayesha Akram is being supported by several people and at the same time being blamed for the incident as well.
Some think it was her fault and others think the act of victim-blame should be stopped now. But what actually happened in the recent two days Ayesha’s became a controversial one?
The case
On 14th August, around 400 men harassed and assaulted Ayesha Akram at Minar-e-Pakistan. She went there for a shoot along with her companions but was later attacked, according to her.
Ayesha Akram was publicly humiliated harassed and robbed at Minar-e-Pakistan by around the mob in clear daylight and no one tried to rescue her.
The video of Ayesha being insulted, assaulted and harassed by the same men who kept pushing and pulling Ayesha to the extent that they ripped off her clothes. According to Ayesha, several people tried to help her escape the mob, however, the crowd was ‘too huge’ and they kept throwing her into the air.
According to Ayesha, if a woman isn’t safe in her own country she isn’t safe anywhere. “Even I am a YouTuber or a TikToker, no one has a right to strip me naked for what I am what I do,” Akram was quoted as saying.
Ayesha was tortured for straight three hours, from 6.30 to 9 pm and no one came to rescue her not even the police. Ayesha was wearing a desi traditional shalwar kurta and never dressed inappropriately and still became a subject to public humiliation.
What FIR says?
The FIR has been registered under Sections 354 A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to commit the theft), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
In this regard, Lahore DIG (Operations) Sajid Kiywani has ordered the superintendent of police (SP) to take “immediate legal action” against the suspects involved in the incident.
Support Ayesha got
After the horrific incident, many people including political figures and celebrities came forward and showed their support for Ayesha.
According to Bilawal Bhutto, the assault of young women by a mob at Minar-e-Pakistan should shame every Pakistani. “It speaks to rot in our society,” he posted.
The assault of a young women by a mob at #minarepakistan should shame every Pakistani. It speaks to a rot in our society. Those responsible must be brought to justice. The women of Pakistan feel insecure and it is all our responsibility to ensure safety and equal rights to all.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) August 18, 2021
Shireen Mazari condemned that certainly effective implementation of our laws will have some deterrent effect but mindsets also have to change to stop crimes against all vulnerable members of our society.
MoHR is in touch with Punjab authorities to ensure strict action ag perpetrators of the condemnable attack on a woman in Greater Iqbal Park Lahore. Arrests made, FIRs done. MoHR following up. But we need to try & change such violent behavioral patterns in our ppl. #lahoreincident
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) August 18, 2021
The other side of the story
When it comes to a case of harassment against a woman, there are high chances that a woman is blamed for what happened with her. The same happened in the case of Ayesha just after she released her latest video after the incident occurred.
View this post on Instagram
In this video, she was clearly seen talking normally, neither shocked nor traumatized. Interestingly, she called herself the daughter of Pakistan and demanded justice.
Soon her video went viral, many people started raising questions about whether she was the real victim or the mastermind behind the incident.
People who blamed Ayesha
The recent video was enough for people to hold Ayesha responsible for what happened with her. Actress Sanam Chaudhry pointed few things she noticed in the video that the victim (Ayesha) does not look like a victim in her recent video anymore. “I am unable to digest that she has the time to make such videos,” she posted.
Host Mathira also had an opinion regarding Miss Akram which she shared in response to Sanam’s post: “Sorry but I thought the same trauma and sorrow is not at all shown on her face or maybe what happened is seriously wrong but I think she has decided to cash this unfortunate incident.”
Moreover, many social media users were unable to understand how a woman who has been harassed by a mob and went through such a tragic experience has the time to appear in interviews, reveal her face?
#AyeshaAkram This is a true Pakistani woman.She knows the ups and downs of our society. #NotAllMen #400_are_dogs #lahoreincident pic.twitter.com/PL3AuAe6JF
— Zunair kamboh (@Rak_KHr) August 18, 2021
A guard present there later in an interview revealed how she was given an opportunity not only once but twice to escape from the place. Her companions and few other men were covering and made her escape but she was the one who decided to stay.
Since then, there is a drift between people whether it was preplanned, Ayesha did it on purpose, is she cashing the incident or was she really the victim. Lots of people believe that such topics still do not justify tearing a woman’s clothes publicly, humiliating her and harassing her in front of everyone.
