Actor Kubra Khan announced last week on social media that she had officially filed a case with the Sindh High Court against Youtube blogger Adil Farooq Raja for making degrading and malicious comments against her and three other actresses. In her social media post, the actress said she was motivated to make this decision after realizing that its necessary to protect hard working, young women out there who are easily turned into a target by insecure men.
Today as reported by Dawn, the ‘Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay’ actresss has been directed by Sindh High Court to appear before an inquiry officer from the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) to provide a statement for trial proceedings.
In the last hearing, the SHC ordered FIA and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block all forms of malicious content being spread about Khan on social media. After that hearing, IO Shagufta Shahzad had filed a report confirming that a probe has been registered at the FIA cybercrime circle in Karachi. She further stated that on the order of the SHC, a direct was also sent to the PTA to block social media accounts regarding the same person. The IO further made a request to the SHC for the petitioner to visit her office in order to record her statement for the trial to proceed. The bench had adjourned the hearing till January 26 while a notice was sent to PTA for the next meeting.
Celebrity public news is an unnecessary but amusing part of our lives. We abhor it but we love the small distraction it provides us from our daily lives. We hear headlines about a celebrity getting married, getting engaged, or promoting some diet tea product and move on. But there are a few times when a celebrity begins trending not because of an announcement but also because of a disturbing rise of misogynist backlash that pales in comparison to how a male public figure would be dealt with. And we cannot ignore this trend and go about our day, because it reflects on how publicly, women are made to face the same kind of scrutiny and slut-shaming that men aren’t subjected to at all.
This morning, Reham Khan announced her marriage to 36-year-old Mirza Bilal Baig. Minutes later, the ex-television host was trending across platforms. There was a wave of posts congratulating the journalist and filmmaker and sending her warm wishes for her future. The feel-good factor was quickly overshadowed by a tsunami of trolls sending hateful comments trolling Khan for the 13 year age-gap in her marriage, calling her all sorts of slurs, assumptions that she is power-hungry and selfish for wanting to marry a younger man when she is in her forties.
Some of the comments, like this Bashir here, seems to assume Reham is a man-eater for marrying someone younger than her. Would he say the same for male politicians marrying and discarding their young wives as soon as they get bored?
Or like this man jumping in the bandwagon to accuse Reham of being a gold digger, marrying famous men to write explosive books about them. Sir jee, women don’t exist in boxes to depend on men in order to make their own fame. Reham Khan had a career before she married Imran Khan. She didn’t need him to make her place in the public sphere. No woman should be reduced to her personal connections, her hard work counting for naught.
If the men were not enough , a lot of women can’t find it in them to support another woman comfortably living her own life and doing whatever she wants. Like this one calling her ‘graceless’ and unwilling to settle down. Why should you put an age limit to settling down and getting married? Women don’t die after their forties. They cannot suddenly stop living life and exploring what they like. As far as Reham’s multiple marriages go, Islam has granted both men and women equal permission to marry or divorce, so she has not committed any crime.
As a popular feminist slogan goes: ‘Sexism is a social disease’. It reduces women down to mere objects, forces them to deal with the endless unsolicited comments from not only men in their lives, but outside their homes consistently. It demands them to keep moulding themselves according to what other people think of them, and never seek their own independence or choices. When the truth is: women don’t need to keep justifying their choices to others.
We saw this previously with Churails actress Yasra Rizvi, when she faced an endless amount of hateful comments calling her ‘gold digger’ and ‘power hungry’ when she married a man ten years younger than her. Last year after rumors spread of a split between the two, Rizvi uploaded a post of the couple reminding everyone that they chose to remain blissful about their union, despite what haters think.
Hopefully, with Reham Khan and other public figures finally putting the notion of settling in your 20s in its grave, our audiences, especially mard hazarat, can come to respect women as multi-facated beings who don’t need to get married at the age of 25 and give up on life. It’s necessary for women to realise that they don’t owe an explanation about their decisions to random men, and it doesn’t make them a failure if they choose to marry later in their lives.
We’ve heard sleazy men behind anonymous accounts push back against this. We’ve seen boomers roll their eyes every time they see this happen. Now, recently, we’ve had to listen to the unsolicited opinion of Behroze Sabzwari on this issue. Can you guess what causes these men to go into frenzied anger? It’s the ability of a woman to choose independence by taking public transport.
It is amusing how this country won’t revolt in a political or economic crisis, however, our mard hazarat will unleash hell when a Pakistani woman is walking down the street without a dupatta or even riding a bike. The consistent way women have to fight away unsolicited opinions that drag her in to a box, unable to express her individuality and bound away from walking outside is a by-product of centuries of male entitlement and patriarchal oppression that consider women as inferior beings.
A few days ago, women had to witness a mansplaining Behroze Sabzwari expressing anger that women shouldn’t wear tight-fitted clothes while riding bikes. “The clothes are not only see through but usually are very tight, women should be fully covered,” said the television veteran who owes his career mostly to women’s writing. It’s shocking that not only does Mr Sabzwari encourage drivers to spend more time oogling women while driving, but also does not take into account how dupattas or abayas can get caught in wheels, potentially causing a dangerous accident.
Yeah and then the flaps of abayas get caught in the wheels causing accidents just admit you want women to be killed and go, boomer. https://t.co/BHjqqVu2Yw
Founder of Soul Sisters Pakistan, Kanwal Ahmed, has now jumped in to take back the narrative from men and allow women to express their own choices whether that includes driving motorbikes wearing abayas or refusing to sit sideways. The film maker has posted on Twitter that she wishes for women to stop feeding in to misogynist policing that is making them neglect proper safety while riding bikes on roads, and shared how today she had seen a woman suffer because her dupatta had gotten entangled in the tire of her bike.
Why are most women in Pakistan made to sit sideways on bikes as passengers? Just saw a young woman fall off AND her shawl getting entangled in the tire on main Sh-Faisal. This absurd expectation is a major safety hazard! But of course, perceived honor>a woman’s safety.
Women soon began to flood the comments with instances of how they had to counter sexism and shame when choosing to ride motorbikes .
This user shared how even in situations of life and death, a man’s honor is considered more important than a woman’s safety because of how little regard is given to the way women are sitting on motorbikes.
Women can’t sit on bikes with their legs open because it is against honour. No one cares about their safety. Even traffic police cannot stop them n ask them to sit like that because their men would not allow it. In Pakistan a man’s honour is more important than a woman’s life. https://t.co/HdbV8V3DSE
the amount of awkward glances, weird groping attempts (?) and overall lack of men acting like animals i have experienced because i sit on a bike how you’re supposed to is insane https://t.co/9v8Rc72F24
This tweet reminded me of a painting I saw in a school in Chungi Amar Sidhu. The boy is sitting normally but the girl is supposed to sit sideways EVEN ON A PENCIL? Says a lot about how shame is normalised more than safety. https://t.co/QvOMmrGCWapic.twitter.com/HnaCsCXYun
We need to stop validating male honor and giving it preference to the point that women have to risk the chance of an accident rather than riding motorbikes safely. Women should not be forced into molding themselves according to what men think, and it’s about time the anonymous Bashir’s of the internet back off, let women reclaim the streets wearing whatever they want and ride any vehicle of their choice.
Women political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. It facilitates women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring better accountability to women. But here in Pakistan, women in politics are seen as a threat to the fragile egos of some male politicians.
When we talk about women’s political participation, it is easy for us to imagine the empty seats around the decision-making table, and a little more difficult to picture the many obstacles and challenges women face to get into those seats. When the same empty seats are filled by women, they somehow become a threat and danger. Recently, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali criticised State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on her recent visit to Afghanistan. Chitrali said that he was not against any female minister, but he believed that the government should have included some tribal elders in the Khar-led delegation that visited Afghanistan. In response to his sexist statement, women Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from treasury benches extended their support for Khar. Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman said, “This debate on gender difference has ended in the entire world, as to who is a man and who a woman. People are known for their performance and merit and not for their gender. Our women are excelling internationally and continuing to do so.” Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also spoke up, asking that all parliamentarians, especially the men, should encourage and acknowledge the competency of women ministers appointed on merit.“Hina represented Pakistan in Afghanistan. This is a moment of pride for the entire nation,” she said, rebuffing Chitrali’s objections.
It is not the first time that we have seen sexism in parliament. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani called Sherry Rehman the “Senate’s dadi (grandmother)” when he asked a house member to keep the questions specific so that Sherry Rehman can answer the questions. “I would advise you to only ask specific questions so that Sherry Rehman, who is the dadi of this House, can give you the right answers,” Sanjrani said, adding that members should keep the environment of the House calm.
This month we saw PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry advising Information Marriyum Aurangzeb and Sherry Rehman to quit politics and open a beauty parlour instead.
The question remains: what are the male politicians so frightened of? Politicians need to learn that there is a a fine line between criticism and misogyny remarks. Our politicians and men in general of Pakistan need to do better. Women of Pakistan are fierce, resolute and hardworking — be it in any field of the world. They are trendsetters and opinion makers. They shall and will not be stopped.
If you want a guide or need tips on how to deal with the misogyny that exists even in Pakistan’s Senate, you need to watch Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman. Here is she at her wittiest best.
An incident took place in Senate Pakistan on Tuesday where the House Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani called Rehman the “Senate’s dadi (grandmother)” when he asked a house member to keep the questions specific so that Sherry Rehman can answer the questions.
“I would advise you to only ask specific questions so that Sherry Rehman, who is the dadi of this House, can give you the right answers,” Sanjrani said, adding that members should keep the environment of the House calm.
However, Rehman snapped back immediately and said: “Kyunke mei apki dadi lagti hoon, meri koshish ye hogi kay kisi ki dadageeri na ho“. (Because I am your grandmother, i will try to ensure that no one is bullied.)
The Upper House then burst out with laughter.
Following this, Senator Rehman shared a clip of the incident with a caption saying, “How to deal with misogyny 101 without giving it the oxygen it seeks”.
India’s social media sensation and television actress Uorfi Javed has confessed about her feelings for Pakistani singer Ali Sethi in an interview with Film Companion.
The internet sensation said that she is currently in serious love with Ali and the feelings grew over the time. She first listened to his song Chandni Raatien and then Gulon Mein Rang Baray, however the feelings deepened post Pasoori.
She added that if he comes in front of her, she will just confess her love for him and won’t let him go.
Earlier she also said that she won’t get married until Ali’s songs get played on her wedding. The Bigg Boss OTT contestant shared a reel with Sethi’s Chandni Raat, she wrote, “I don’t know why I uploaded this but I am in love with this song! Those who haven’t go listen to CHANDNI RAAT by Ali sethi asap and thank me later! Also this is a very very rare sight! I’m not getting married unless this song is played at my wedding! Period (sic).”
Ali Sethi is currently enjoying international fame post his song Pasoori has entered international charts.
In 2021, Sethi extended his support for Malala Yousafzai after the youngest Nobel Peace laureate received criticism on her remarks about marriage in an interview for British Vogue‘s July cover.
“PS: If you are really triggered by a young woman’s completely harmless abstract speculations about the efficacy of marriage and find yourself frothing at the mouth (because you feel like the earth will end or whatever), please know that my own ideas and beliefs are much worse.”
Politics in Pakistan hits a new low every day. This past week, the nation witnessed two incidents that again prove how women in politics are seen as soft targets to settle political scores. Be it misogyny, sexist remarks targeted harassment or political victimisation — we have seen how women face the brunt of most of these attacks.
Case one: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan passed sexist and controversial remarks about Maryam Nawaz at a political rally in Multan on Friday. Khan said: “I was sent the video of Maryam’s speech in which she took my name so many times with such jazba and junoon that I want to tell her to be careful, your husband might get upset at you taking my name so often.” Khan’s misogynistic remarks about his political rival were uncalled for, and not what was expected from a national leader. One would have thought that a man who is almost 70-year-old, whose first wife has had to deal with perpetual harassment to this date, whose second wife faces a plethora of abuse on a regular basis, and whose current wife has not been spared either, would spare women. Yet he made these comments about Maryam Nawaz while addressing thousands of people looking to him as the future of the country. What message is being sent to our younger generation? That it is okay to sexualise women, that it is okay to mainstream misogyny? Where will it stop is what one wonders.
Case two: Punjab’s anti-corruption department took former human rights minister Shireen Mazari into custody in Islamabad yesterday. A video clip shows female police officers manhandling Mazari after she refused to step out of her car. The way that she was harassed and manhandled and the timing make it look like a clear case of political victimisation.
Pakistan at the moment is facing a national crisis. The new coalition government is finding it hard to stay afloat, the country needs a financial boost from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to survive economically. Serious decisions are to be made for the betterment of the country but what are the male politicians doing instead? Demeaning, silencing, and mocking strong women to put them down. Arresting Mazari because she is a vocal critic while demeaning Maryam because she is giving a tough time to her opponents.
One can criticise anyone’s politics but in the case of women politicians, resorting to personal attacks is unwarranted. Mazari has faced such attacks from the likes of Khawaja Asif and others. Maryam was threatened with violence by Gandapur during the previous government.
No one is above the law but abuse of power can never be condoned, regardless of who it targets or from where it emanates. Khan must apologise for his remarks about Maryam Nawaz. Such misogyny needs to stop against women. The government has released Mazari but she has been arbitrarily arrested because of the whims of a few men. It is high time that men keep women out of their politics. They cannot scare women into quitting.
Actor Meera is the latest celebrity to join the video sharing app TikTok’s bandwagon. The Baaji diva has recently shared a slightly controversial video which she concluded by saying, ‘Itni izzat karien aurat ki ke aik din wo apko khud hi chairnay pe majboor hojaye’.
The Load Wedding hero, Fahad Mustafa stated in a recently resurfaced interview that he was taken aback when she told him to go get a water bottle for her. The Parey Hut Love star acted as if Fahad is a spot boy or a servant on the event. Fahad mentioned that he felt very strange as he was an established actor by then and Meera knew who he was. He said that despite her mistreatment, he provided her with a water bottle.
The Jawani Phir Nahi Aani 2 actor also confessed that once he lost his cool on Meera when she appeared on his morning show as a guest. Fahad revealed that it was one of those rare moments when he had to lash out on a female actor as she was being rude on the live show, Meera reverted back in anger too.
Although when the Naagin star met him after a while on a flight, she pretended as if nothing ever happened.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has once again come under fire for making sexist and violent remarks against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz.
Taking a jibe at Maryam, Gandapur said: “You [Maryam] have spent Rs80 million [tax payers] money on surgery. I will unmask your real face before the public by removing [cosmetic surgery].”
“We will slap you in the face so much that your real face will be revealed to everyone,” Gandapur said.
This isn’t the first time Gandpur made such remarks. In November last year, Ali Amin Gandapur had claimed that Maryam Nawaz “owes her beauty to cosmetic surgeries performed at the expense of taxpayers”.
Speaking at a public gathering, the lawmaker went on a sexist tirade against the PML-N vice president. He said the PML-N leader became “beautiful” by spending tax money on her alleged plastic surgeries.
Twitterati reacted to Gandapur’s sexist and misogynist remarks.
PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, “His [ Ali Amin Gandapur’s] words are not only violent but also deeply misogynist. Just imagine that people with this mindset have been given the responsibility to govern a country of 220 million people.”
Disgusted by the shameful language Ali Amin Gandapur has used against Maryam Nawaz. His words are not only violent but also deeply mysoginist. Just imagine that people with this mindset have been given the responsibility to govern a country of 220 million people.
“Govt’s claims of its ‘commitment’ to women’s human rights and equality will ring hollow What’s worse is that Gandapur is a serial offender and has made such statements before as well with impunity,” says lawyer Reema Omer.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan openly making sexist, inflammatory comments about Maryam Nawaz before a charged crowd using violent language
Almost didn’t believe the reports and had to watch the speech myself
Social Activist Jibran Nasir tweeted, “Prime Minister Imran Khan endorses it & encourages it. About time everyone stops making excuses for PM that he isn’t surrounded by the right people or he is ill-advised.”
IK endorses it & encourages it. About time everyone stops making excuses for PM that he isnt surrounded by right people or he is ill advised. Those who don’t wish to see are unfortunately cult worshippers just like those found in PMLN and PPP who see nothing wrong with leadership https://t.co/GTuwDPr7YX
A Twitter user tweeted, “What are the odds that this is sheer unfiltered hate against women?”
What are the odds that this is the energy of a domestic violence abuser and a rapist? What are the odds that this is sheer unfiltered hate against women? https://t.co/3GqoGiCTAI
Meanwhile, the official Twitter account of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) shared a clip where lawmaker Maleeka Bokhari said, “The language used by Maryam Nawaz for the elected Prime Minister and PTI representatives is reprehensible.”
مریم نواز جو زبان منتخب وزیراعظم اور تحریک انصاف کے نمائندوں کیلئے استعمال کررہی ہیں وہ قابل مذمت ہے اور جو بیانیہ وہ پیش کررہی ہیں وہ بھی قابل مذمت ہے۔ ایسا نہیں ہوسکتا کہ آپ تنقید کریں اور پھر عورت کارڈ کھیلیں- @MalBokharipic.twitter.com/85mENp0rrN
“It is not possible for you [Maryam Nawaz] to criticise and then play the women’s card,” added Bokhari.
Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul tweeted, “Rich of an infamous misogynist Shehbaz Sharif and his abusive deputies who falsely claim PTI encourages such an approach. The track record of the Sharif family is horrific in terms of attacks on women. & Maryam Safdar has actually promoted those who have engaged in openly abusing women!”
Rich of an infamous misogynist Shehbaz Sharif and his abusive deputies who falsely claim PTI encourages such an approach. Track record of Sharif family is horrific in terms of attacks on women. & Maryam Safdar has actually promoted those who have engaged in openly abusing women! pic.twitter.com/1uEa4Joknm
Justin Timberlake on Friday apologised for moments he “fell short” and condoned misogyny, one week after the release of a blockbuster documentary on Britney Spears saw the behaviour of the former boy band star come under sharp criticism.
The film, produced by FX and The New York Times, explores the vitriol both the media and entertainment industry aimed at Spears, who soared to global fame before publicly suffering a mental health crisis and becoming a paparazzi punching bag in the mid-to-late 2000s.
Spears and Timberlake famously dated several years around the turn of the millennium, having met as children while cast members of Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club variety show.
The popular narrative of their breakup cast Spears as a cheating heartbreaker, offering sympathy to Timberlake especially after he released a revenge fantasy music video for the break-up hit Cry Me A River.
The documentary Framing Britney Spears includes audio from a 2002 radio interview in which Timberlake jokes about the couple’s sex life; Spears for years was needled over the state of her virginity prior to the break-up.
“So when are you apologising to Britney?” asked Spears fans on social media, flooding Timberlake’s accounts with tags.
“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond,” Timberlake said Friday on Instagram.
“I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” he wrote. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
Timberlake, 40, said he “specifically wanted to apologise to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
In Jackson’s case, the former NSYNC star was referring to the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” Jackson suffered during a much-watched Super Bowl halftime show when Timberlake appeared to pull off part of her outfit and expose her breast.
The 2004 scandal triggered widespread outcry, with much of the criticism aimed at Jackson.
In both cases Jackson’s and Spears’ careers took serious hits, while Timberlake’s popularity remained largely unscathed.
“As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this,” Timberlake wrote, nearly two decades after the incidents in question.
“Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognise it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to ever benefit from others being pulled down again.”
“I have not been perfect in navigating all of this throughout my career,” Timberlake added. “I know this apology is the first step and doesn’t absolve the past. I want to take accountability for my missteps in all of this as well as be part of a world that uplifts and supports.”
Timberlake is now married to actress Jessica Biel.
The documentary’s release this month has triggered renewed scrutiny of the conservatorship Spears, 39, has lived under since 2008, a legal guardianship dictating the course of her life and finances that’s largely been steered by her father Jamie.
Spears filed last year to remove her father from the conservatorship and give sole power over her estate to a financial institution. Her court-appointed lawyer says she’s “afraid” of her father.
On Thursday a judge ruled that both Spears’ father and Bessemer Trust would oversee the pop star’s finances, denying Jamie Spears’ bid to keep sole power to delegate investments.
Spears’ lawyer did not seek Thursday to remove Jamie Spears’ from the legal arrangement normally intended for the elderly or infirm, but has not ruled out doing so in the future.
