Tag: harassment

  • Suspect involved in couple harassment, torture case seeks bail

    Suspect involved in couple harassment, torture case seeks bail

    A suspect in a case pertaining to sexual harassment and torture of a couple in Islamabad involving Usman Mirza has filed a bail plea before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), ARY NEWS reported on Monday.

    As per reports, the hearing in the case was heard by IHC judge Justice Tariq Mahmood.

    The suspect’s counsel said that the video involving Usman Mirza harassing and torturing an Islamabad couple went viral and police filed a case against Usman Mirza and nominated five persons in it.

    “Neither my client committed the act nor was he present at the incident site,” adding that he was also not included in the FIR.

    The lawyer said that the trial court rejected his client’s bail plea even after notifying them that he was a university student and could not flee anywhere.

    “The IHC should grant bail to him while considering the argument,” he added as the court adjourned the hearing for another two weeks.

    Earlier in July, a district and sessions court in Islamabad ordered the police to submit a challan against Usman Mirza and his other partners until September 10.

    The court extended the remand of four suspects, including Usman Mirza, Idris Qayyum Butt, Farhan, and Atta ur Rehman, after their 14-day remand ended.

    While directing the police to submit challan in the case, the court asked to present them before the court on August 13 and 27.

    The accused have been sent to Adiala Jail until September 10.

  • Celebrities slam ‘Laapata’ for trivialising ‘harassment’

    Celebrities slam ‘Laapata’ for trivialising ‘harassment’

    Drama serial Laapata starring A-list stars like Ayeza Khan, Sarah Khan and Ali Rehman Khan went on-air on July 28th. The drama has been scrutinized by a blog for treating the conduct of harassment insensitively.

    Singer Meesha Shafi and Actor Adnan Malik took to their Instagram stories to slam the makers of the show for trivializing a sensitive subject like harrasment, that too in a play starring some of the biggest names of the industry.

    The ongoing rise in crimes against women in Pakistan makes the content of the scene even more problematic for the society and the mindsets of the viewers.

    The Meray Paas Tum Ho star posted the same scene and mentioned that her character will get into negative circumstances because of her wrongdoings.

    Earlier actress Iqra Aziz was panned by audiences for trivialising domestic violence in her drama serial Jhooti co-starring Yasir Hussain and Ahmad Ali Butt.

    Iqra Aziz's drama Jhooti disregards victims of domestic abuse - Film & TV -  Images

    Read More: Ayeza Khan hits back at trolls, pens a lengthy reply

  • Mahira, Kubra and Zara extend support to Usman Mukhtar

    Mahira, Kubra and Zara extend support to Usman Mukhtar

    On July 27, actor Usman Mukhtar opened about the harassment he has faced at the hands of a fellow female artist whom he worked with in 2016. The Sabaat star’s female co-stars have extended support to him after his candid confessions.

    Hashtag #StayStrongUsmanMukhtar became top Twitter trend in Pakistan as users reacted to Usman’s statement in which he detailed his ordeal. He also expressed disappointment over the indifference shown by the law enforcement agencies and their inaction on his complaint.

    The actor wrote his story on Instagram and shared with his thousands of fans, without naming the woman whose chat was also part of his social media post.

    Reacting to his post, actress Armeena Khan revealed that the same woman “attacked” her too, without elaborating further.

    Superstar Mahira Khan also assured Usman of her support and wrote in the comments, “Behind you and with you”.

    Including her, many others celebrities expressed their support for the Anaa fame actor.

    His co-star and friend Kubra Khan turned to Instagram to wish the birthday boy and extend her support in this tough time.

    He further thanked fans and people for supporting him and opened up about the fake statements by the other side as well. He has posted another screen shot with the case number.

  • ‘Girl had come to take her exams’: SSP Islamabad on the Usman Mirza case

    Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation Atta-ur-Rehman has shared details about the girl and the boy who were harassed by Usman Mirza and other culprits. He shared the details in TV programme, ‘Mad-e-Muqabil’ with anchorpersons Rauf Klasra and Amir Mateen.

    The police officer said that they traced the couple and reached out to them for investigation and assured them that the state, media and people are with them and asked them to cooperate, after which the couple recorded their statement.

    He further shared that the girl was from Lahore, and she came to Islamabad to give an exam, and the boy present in the video was her fiance who helped her with the accommodation by asking his friend for his apartment for a day.

    Usman Mirza and gang showed up at the apartment when the boy stepped out to buy groceries and harassed the girl. The police say they will try to take the case to its logical conclusion.

    SSP, while answering a question, said that Usman Mirza was allegedly drunk and he was armed, which is why it was difficult for anyone to rescue the couple.

    The incident happened in November last year probably, shared SSP Atta-ur-Rehman, adding that the couple got married later with the consent of both families.

    A video went viral on social media recently in which Usman Mirza was seen torturing, harassing, and assaulting a young couple in Islamabad along with his accomplices. Mirza was arrested after the video went viral. His accomplices have also been arrested.

  • #ArrestUsmanMirza case: ‘Our concern is to protect the boy, girl from danger’: Islamabad Police

    #ArrestUsmanMirza case: ‘Our concern is to protect the boy, girl from danger’: Islamabad Police

    Four people were arrested in connection with Usman Mirza in Islamabad after a disturbing video went viral on social media where he could be seen torturing and assaulting a couple. He was also seen stripping the woman in the video.

    After the arrest of Usman Mirza, the police further investigated the case which led to the tracing of others.

    The incident had occurred in an apartment on E-11/2, the police stated. The flat was in possession of a property dealer from whom the boy had taken its key, the officers said. The six suspects also had a key to the flat and they followed the couple there, reports Dawn.

    The police later traced the boy and asked him for his statement on the incident but so far he was not willing to do so, the officer said, adding that, “the boy is so frightened that he refused to give a statement and become a complainant in the case, saying the suspects would kill him and his family”.

    Police also reached out to the girl but she refused as well, they added.

    When police officials, DIG operations, and SSP operations were contacted by Dawn, they said an investigation had been launched to establish the facts.

    About the safety of the girl and the boy, they said efforts and arrangements were being made to take them in protective custody as chances of suicide and honour killing cannot be ruled out.

    “Our concern is also to protect the boy and the girl from all risks and danger,” they added. A special investigating team has been constituted to probe the incident, they added.

  • ‘You support harassers, please stop nominating me’: Meesha Shafi gets vocal on Hum Style Awards

    ‘You support harassers, please stop nominating me’: Meesha Shafi gets vocal on Hum Style Awards

    Meesha Shafi has lashed out on Hum Style Awards’ jury for nominating her despite getting on board a host with harassment allegations on him. The ceremony was hosted by Urwa Hocane and Ali Zafar.

    Th Bhaag Milkha Bhaag actress took to twitter to voice out her thoughts.

    The ceremony was held in Lahore on Sunday, July 4 and was a star-studded affair.

  • Jemima schools PM Khan on rape, again

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s former wife, Jemima Goldsmith has schooled him on the topic of rape again by re-sharing an old tweet.

    In an interview with “Axios on HBO” with Jonathan Swan, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that “if a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots”.

    Jemima quoted her old tweet with the caption, “And again. Sigh.”

    The tweet she quoted read, “I remember years ago being in Saudi Arabia and an elderly woman in an abaya and niqab was lamenting the fact that when she went out she was followed and harassed by young men,” said Jemima.

    “The only way to get rid of them was to take her face covering OFF,” said Jemima further, asserting: “The problem is not how women dress.”

    Earlier, this year in April Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on rape and violence against women sparked a debate upon the reasons behind such actions and how society can tackle crime against women and children, including rape.

  • Faryal Mehmood makes shocking revelations about casting couch in entertainment industry

    Faryal Mehmood makes shocking revelations about casting couch in entertainment industry

    In a recent interview with Something Haute, Faryal Mehmood opened up on the reality of the casting couch and sexual harassment that aspiring young actresses have to face. “They would ask me to go for a drive.”

    The Raqeeb Se actress said because she didn’t give in, she was constantly told that she was a difficult actor to work with. “I won’t laugh at your vulgar jokes and will tell you not to have the same jokes again.”

    Read more – ‘Happy Trolling’: Faryal Mehmood claps back at trolls

    The actress shared her experience with two channels and she praised Geo TV, calling it “ghar Ki baat” and lauded Abdullah Kadwani’s 7th Sky Entertainment.

    Talking about another channel and a producer, Faryal said “There was one producer, who saw me on an event and called me and said that you need a stylist. Look at me, I mean do I need a stylist? I was working on my weight and dealing with a new body at that time.”

    “One day I showed up at a premiere at 2:30 at night, after the premiere, he saw me and texted me on Facebook, saying you know you’ve got potential but you need a stylist. I said, sir I am going through a process, I’m also getting to know what needs to be done. It was a new body for me as well.”

    “The same person called me to his office, to the other side of the world (Karachi City) and then he tells me that you’ve got behavioral issues and why people don’t want to work with you. I keep giving your name and they keep rejecting you. The sad part is that i believed that,” said Faryal.

    She further said: “After six years i decided that I don’t want it anymore, i’ll do whatever i like. Here no one knows the professional language and how to speak. I’ve also worked outside this country. They teach you how to communicate with people ad taking work from them, without hurting them or disrespecting them.”

    “They have no manners and no professionalism,” she added.

    “Now, all of them know me how I work. So, i don’t face anything like that anymore,” said Faryal.

    But the actress also said the main reason why a lot of young actors don’t speak out against harassment is the fear of losing work and getting blacklisted in the industry. Faryal did, however, mention that there are good producers and directors as well who treat actors with respect.

  • ‘Saba Qamar came to my rescue when I was harassed at a drama shoot’: Mehar Bano

    Mehar Bano shared in her interview with Something Haute that actress Saba Qamar rescued her when she was harassed at a drama set. Saba and Mehar Bano have collaborated on multiple projects such as Bunty I Love You and Miss Fire.

    “One of my first cases when i had to experience harassment, Saba Qamar actually came to my rescue”.

    She continued: “Aik mic wala tha, you can get harassed at anytime by anyone, especially when you don’t know what’s going on and you are just a child.”

    She had to involve a senior actor as she was new in this field, “I told her because I did not know what was going on, she just went on set and got him kicked out. I think it is the only time I remember a woman taking such a strong stance for me.”

    This incident did make Mehar Bano more aware about the fact that how unpredictable work place harassments can be, “It made me realize that I should be more aware that what happens to me and what happens to other girls so that I can also stand up for them.”

    On the work front, Saba Qamar Zaman is all set to make a comeback on television with the upcoming drama serial, Tumhare Husn K Naam. Besides Saba, the drama will also feature Imran Abbas, Salman Shahid, Nayyer Ijaz and Asad Siddiqui. Meharbano is currently being seen on Geo Entertainment’s Khuda Aur Mohabbat 3.

  • ویکسینیشن ، مرد اور عورت کا پردہ

    ویکسینیشن ، مرد اور عورت کا پردہ

    ابھی ایک ہفتہ پہلے میری والدہ کو کورونا ویکیسنیشن  کی دوسری خوراک لگی ۔ پہلی خوراک والے دن  میں کافی گھبرائی ہوئی تھی کہ پتا نہیں کیسے ہوگی ، سینٹر پر کیا حال ہوگا ،لوگ کتنے ہونگے وغیرہ وغیرہ ۔ جب میں سینٹر پر پہنچی تو لوگوں کا جمِ غفیر  نظر آیا ۔ زندگی میں پہلی بار اتنے  لوگوں کو ٹیکہ لگوانے کی خوشی تھی ۔ مجھے اندازہ نہیں تھا کہ کام شروع کیسے ہوگا ۔ اسی دوران میں نے کسی سے پوچھا جو کورونا سینٹر کے نمائندہ ہی تھے ۔ انہوں نے کہا آپ میرے ساتھ آ جائیں ۔ میں آپ کا کام کروا دیتا ہوں ۔ انہوں نے دس منٹ میں فارم جمع کروا کرآخری مرحلے تک کام کروا دیا ۔  میں نے پیسے دینے چاہے تو انہوں نے کہا “میں انسانیت کے ناتے کر رہا تھا، پیسے رکھئے” ۔ ساتھ ہی انہوں نے نمبر دیا کہ اگلی خوراک پر رابطہ کیجئے گا اورمیرا نمبر بھی مانگ لیا ۔ میں نے سمجھا خدا سے کوئی غیبی مدد آئی ہے اور خدا کا شکر ادا کیا ۔

    میرا شکر البتہ دو تین دن بعد” چلو جی “میں بدلا جب ان ہی صاحب نے اِدھر اُدھر کے میسج کرنے شروع کر دیئے ۔ جب وہ باز نہ آئے، تو میں نے جھوٹ کہہ دیا کہ میں شادی شدہ ہوں میرے خاوند جی میرا فون چیک کرتے ہیں ۔ اس کے دو دن بعد میری والدہ کی ویکسینیشن تھی ۔ میں نے موصوف سے رابطہ کیا کہ مدد مل سکتی ہے ؟ جس پر انہوں نے کہا “جی مشکل ہے” ۔ میرا نقلی خاوند تو میرا دشمن نکلا ! میرے نقلی خاوند کی وجہ سے موصوف کی انسانیت ہی ختم ہو گئی؟ کیا فائدہ ایسے نقلی خاوند کا ؟

    میں نے یہ واقعہ ٹویٹر پر لکھا تو ایک شخص نے لکھا ” ہاں تو نمبر دیا تھا ، تو بھگتو اب” ۔ اور مجھے تب احساس ہوا کہ اوہو! غلطی تو میری ہی تھی  ۔ چونکہ میں عورت ہوں ، اس لئے غلطی تو ہمیشہ میری ہی ہوگی ۔ چونکہ نمبر عورت کا تھا ، مرد تو بہکے گا ! اسی ہفتے میں پاکستان کے وزیرِاعظم عمران خان نے بھی مجھے احساس دلا دیا کہ غلطی تو میری تھی، ہے اور رہے گی کیونکہ میں عورت ہوں ۔ عمران خان نے اپنے خطاب میں زور دیا کہ ملک میں جنسی زیادتی کو روکنے کے لئے ضروری ہے کہ انگریزوں کے رسم و رواج کوختم کیا جائے ۔ اور پھر دبے دبے الفاظ اور پولے پولے منہ سے کہہ دیا کہ جب عورتیں پردہ نہیں کرتی تو بہت سے مردوں سے کنٹرول نہیں ہوتا اور پھر وہ جنسی زیادتی پر “مجبور” ہو جاتے ہیں۔

    زمانے بھر کے غم اور مرد کی یہ “مجبوری!” اس دنیا نے مرد کا جینا حرام کر دیا ہے۔ کیسے کیسے “مجبور” کیا ہے۔ کیسا کیسا امتحان لیا ہے ۔ کبھی مرد “مجبور” ہو کر اپنے ہی گھر کی عورت سے جنسی زیادتی کر دیتا ہے اور کبھی “مجبور” ہو کر موٹر وے پر ایک ماں کو اُس کے بچوں کے سامنے اپنی جنسی ہوس کا شکار کرتا ہے ، کبھی مرد “مجبور” ہوکر رشتے سے انکار کرنے والی عورت سے بدلہ لینے کے لئے اسے اپنی ہوس کا شکار بنا دیتا ہے، اور کبھی مرد عوت کا ناک، کان، بازو کا کچھ حصۤہ ، ہاتھوں کی انگلیاں، پیر ، آنکھیں، بال ، ہونٹ، جو بھی حصہ نظر  آ جائے  ، اس سے “مجبور” ہو کر عورت کو اپنی ہوس کا شکار بنا دیتا ہے ۔ اور “مجبوری” ادھر رکتی نہیں۔ مرد 3 سال کے لڑکے کو بھی دیکھ کر “مجبور” ہو جاتا ہے ۔ مرد ایک “مجبوری ” کا مجسمہ ہے جسے کب کیا دکھ جائے  اور جو دکھ رہا ہو وہ کس طرح اس کو جنسی زیادتی پر “مجبور” کر دے ، آپ کو کبھی نہیں پتہ چلے گا ۔ کیا انہی “مجبوریوں” کی بات کر رہے تھے آپ،وزیرِاعظم صاحب؟

    وزیرِ اعظم صاحب ! عورت ہونے کو جرم نہ بنائیں ۔ عورت کے کپڑوں کو مردں کی درندگی چھپانے کے لئے استعمال نہ کریں ۔ مرد جوصدیوں سے جنسی درندگی کو طاقت کے حربے کے طور پر استعمال کرتاہے۔ کبھی حالتِ جنگ میں اور کبھی عورت کو “مزہ” چکھانے کے لئے ، اسے عورت کے لباس میں چھپانے کی کوشش نہ کریں ۔وزیرِاعظم صاحب! وہ کون سے کپڑے ہیں جو مدرسے کے لڑکوں کو ان “مجبور” مردوں کے شر سے نہ بچا سکے ؟وہ کون سے کپڑے ہیں جو 3 سال کی بچیوں کو مردوں سے بچا نہ سکے؟

    وزیرِ اعظم صاحب ! کبھی نظر جھکا کر دیکھیں ، کبھی نظر ہٹا کر دیکھیں ، کبھی اپنے نفس پر قابو کر کے دیکھیں ۔۔۔ پھر نہ آپ کو کسی کے کپڑوں سے شکایت ہوگی اور نہ آپ “مجبور”  ہوں گے ۔