After the Lahore incident, the Pakistani fashion brand Manto has urged people not to wear its products if they have any safety concerns.
In a lengthy message on Instagram, the brand, while addressing the Lahore incident, emphasized that consumer safety comes first. If there is any issue, please set the Manto product aside.
Manto, Pakistan’s fastest-growing fashion brand, which also has a global presence, prints Urdu poetry on its outfits.
“In light of the current events, we feel extremely sad seeing all that has happened. This is why we wanted to address this heart-wrenching issue,” the message stated.
“Please know that Your safety as an individual must always be a priority. And at any given moment if you ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe wearing your Manto outfit then please just set them aside. We would never, under any circumstance, want you to put your safety at risk,” it added.
“Every religion teaches us one essential truth: violence against women is unacceptable. It goes against everything we believe in – our values, our teachings, our faith. Every woman deserves to feel safe and respected,” it elaborated.
“As a brand, Manto is committed to ensuring that our actions align with our values. Which is why
1. We consciously avoid using words that might have double meanings.
2. Manto designs do not feature any poetry or words that may directly or indirectly reference or address God,” the message clarified.
“Again, we want to stress to you that we are extremely grateful for your love and support, but please be safe and put yourself first. Your safety is far more important to us than anything else,” it concluded.
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The request came a day after a woman, who was wearing an Arabic calligraphy embroidery dress, was assaulted by a violent mob in Lahore.
The appalling incident was captured on multiple videos, rapidly circulating online, depicting the mob descending upon her while she dined at a restaurant in Lahore’s Ichhra Market.
Allegations surfaced among some individuals present that Quranic verses adorned her attire, deemed blasphemous. Prompted by the Arabic script on her dress, bystanders erupted into protest and threats, unaware of the true nature of the inscription.
An angry crowd swarmed around her, leaving the woman frozen in terror while a few attempted to shield her from the relentless accusations of blasphemy. As tensions escalated, authorities were alerted, leading to police intervention to disperse the extremist crowd and safely escort the woman home.
