However, Faryal did not let the trolls win and clapped back by posting another photo from the same photoshoot, writing: “This is for the social media trolls. Hoping this platform provides you with that moment of importance you needed to assure your self-righteousness.”
Meesha also posted a photo from last year when she went to Lahore Session Court to record her statement regarding her harassment case against Ali Zafar.
Here’s a picture I took while being STARED AT on one of the mornings I went to court
Highlighting the stares of people in the picture Meesha posted, a Twitter user recalled the time when middle-aged lawyers passed comments on them. Agreeing with the user, Meesha replied “Yup. That’s where women have to go. To explain being harassed while being harassed.”
Yup. That’s where women have to go. To explain being harassed while being harassed. https://t.co/3hih3eToWv
Meanwhile, Meesha also lauded her lawyer Nighat Dad, who was recently the subject of online hate and trolling. Dad is representing Meesha in court.
“Out of so many brave lawyers on my legal team who are fighting this long, hard battle, only the woman gets singled out, the woman gets smeared & maligned, the woman is attacked, the woman is snubbed during court proceedings. Says a lot about the attackers!,” Meesha wrote, adding that Dad is a queen.
Out of so many brave lawyers on my legal team who are fighting this long, hard battle, only the woman gets singled out, the woman gets smeared & maligned, the woman is attacked, the woman is snubbed during court proceedings. Says a lot about the attackers! @nighatdad =
Not one to lose his cool, Sheheryar Munawar recently hit back at a troll(s) who called him “Ghareebon k Bradley Cooper”.
Responding to the user Nasir Ali, who posted the comment on Sheheryar’s post, the actor said: “Ghareeb isn’t a stigma. Thank you for associating me with a group that works hard day and night to earn for themselves and their families.”
For reference, this the picture from the actor’s recent shoot under which Ali had posted the comment.
Meanwhile, responding to another social media user who advised him to say his prayers, Sheheryar said: “Alhumdulliah. 5 waqt partha hoon. Kabhi kabhar rab ki meharbani se tahajud bhi naseeb ho jaati hai.”
The actor further said that the matter is between him and his God and that his work is also a form of worship for him.
Munawar also advised the social media user to stop judging people on Instagram and focus on his own deeds.
Sultan of Swing Wasim Akram has a fine sense of humour and his latest video addressed to social media trolls is proof of that.
Akram, who has been keeping fans updated with his daily workouts, posted a video in which he is saying: “This is to motivate you. Our goal is to live a healthy life. That’s the idea. I’ll be 55 soon, so why not? Sometimes it’s an effort, but you got to do it.”
“You know, people sometimes abuse you on Facebook and Instagram. For them, I have a message: Batameezi sirf buzdil log kartay hain (only cowards are ill-mannered). This [your words] only shows your background. I feel for your elders.”
He continued: “Some people also criticised me for not wearing a shirt while in the pool because I’m a Muslim.”
“Ghalti hogayi payen, next time three-piece suit. Woh bhi nahi pasand tey ghagra pa lawan ga,” joked the former cricketer.
He concluded by saying: “[You] don’t think before speaking or writing. Classic.”
Social media users couldn’t get enough of Akram’s video and took to Twitter to appreciate it. Check out some of the reactions below:
Omg @wasimakramlive this is brilliant !!! Loving these vid clips! Let’s hope people learn from these messages & yes… classic comment at the end … can’t stop laughing! https://t.co/fL66j9dVuj
After months of being patient and forgiving Pakistani viewers for their comments on her choice of clothes and outfits, Esra Bilgiç has finally hit out a troll who asked her not to wear “such dresses”.
Under a recent Instagram post, a social media user by the name Astounding Ali commented: “Please don’t wear such dresses Halima baji, not good.”
In response to his comment, Bilgiç remarked, “Let me give you a little advice: Don’t follow me. Thank you.” Go Queen!
Esra has been on the receiving end of such comments ever since her character Halime Sultan became popular in Pakistan after PTV aired the Urdu-dubbed version of the superhit Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul. A group of fans, who apparently do not understand the concept of acting, had a meltdown because the actors, who play different characters in the show based in the pre-Ottoman era, are much different in their real lives of the 21st century. These ‘fans’ have left hundreds of unwarranted comments on Esra’s choice of clothing and have called her out for it.
The actor even had to close the comments sections on some of her posts to avoid such comments. Meanwhile, Ahsan Khan defended the actor and urged Pakistanis to “at least spare the cast”. In a tweet, the actor had said: “I know people in Pakistan think it’s okay to troll actors here and judge them, [but] at least spare the cast of Ertuğrul. It’s bloody shameful what’s going on! Who the hell are we to do this to them?”
Despite all such comments, Esra’s popularity in Pakistan has been soaring and the actor has been chosen to be the brand ambassador of two major Pakistani brands: Khaadi and QMobile. Her visit to Pakistan is also much-awaited.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)’s outrage over a Republican lawmaker’s verbal assault has garnered attention far and wide. AOC’s take on the sexist culture of “accepting violence and violent language against women” made noise across the world and people lauded her for standing up against this.
Among those who appreciated AOC and her words was Mehwish Hayat, who is often at the receiving end of sexist trolling and hate for her unfiltered take on various topics.
“Thank you AOC for saying this out loud,” wrote Mehwish on Twitter. “I cried – and can so relate to what you say. For me as an actress, men passing remarks and using abusive language is the norm. There’s a pattern here and it is becoming a cultural thing.”
She continued, “We mustn’t give any man permission to be abusive. Today I stand up and say, ‘I, too am someone’s daughter and I haven’t been raised to accept abuse from anyone!’”
daughters & sisters at home. However,this alone does not make them ‘decent’! We mustn’t give any man permission to be abusive. Today I stand up & say,“I, too am someone’s daughter & I haven’t been raised to accept abuse from anyone!” If you do one thing today – listen to this!2/2
According to reports, Ocasio-Cortez’s speech was in response to Republican congressman Ted Yoho calling her “disgusting” on a staircase in the Capitol last Tuesday for her comments linking poverty and crime. As she left, Yoho allegedly said, ‘”f***** b****.”
In an apology delivered on the House floor the next morning, Yoho denied saying those words to AOC.
“Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I’m very cognizant of my language,” he had said. “The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues and if they were construed that way, I apologise for their misunderstanding.”
However, AOC dismissed Yoho’s apology, saying that the congressman was “refusing responsibility”.
In the speech that went viral on social media, AOC said: “About two days ago I was walking up the steps of the Capitol when Representative Yoho suddenly turned a corner, and he was accompanied by Representative Roger Williams. And accosted me on the steps right here in front of our nation’s capitol.”
“I was my minding my own business, walking up the steps when Representative Yoho put his finger in my face, he called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind. And he called me dangerous.”
She continued, “I walked back out and there were reporters in the front of the Capitol, and in front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, a f—— b—-. These are the words Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman. A congresswoman that not only represents New York’s 14th district but every congresswoman in this country because all of us have had to deal with this in some form, some way, some shape at some point in our lives.”
“Mr Yoho was not alone. He was walking shoulder to shoulder with Representative Roger Williams. And that’s when we start to see that this issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of a lack of impunity, of acceptance of violence and violent language against women, an entire structure of power that supports that.”
She adds: “But then yesterday, Representative Yoho decided to come to the floor of the House of Representatives and make excuses for his behaviour. And that I could not let go. Which is why I’m rising today to raise this point of personal privilege.”
“I do not need representative Yoho to apologise to me. Clearly, he does not want to. Clearly, when given the opportunity he will not. And I will not stay up late at night waiting for an apology from a man who has no remorse over calling women and using abusive language towards women. But what I do have an issue with is using women, wives, and daughters as shields and excuses for poor behaviour.”
“Mr Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr Yoho’s disrespect on the floor of this house towards me on television, and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men,” AOC further said.
“And so, what I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man. And when a decent man messes up, as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologise. Not to save face, not to win a vote.”
AOC’s speech made waves across the world and resonated with millions of women who suffer abuse – verbal and physical – at the hands of men.
Meanwhile, Mehwish also hit back at trolls who criticised her for her recent picture.
I’m so glad there was one photo where my Casio watch is clearly visible,the chai stained pillow isn’t there,my legs can be seen & my neck is a little low (as requested) This ones for all the sick minded. You know who you are & I’m sure you’ll still find something wrong here also! pic.twitter.com/0dP11mYbTD
Popular talk show host and actor Sanam Jung recently hit back at a troll, who commented that Sanam’s mother did not raise her well as she does not know how to cook. Sanam had recently shared a new video of herself with her Mom in the kitchen.
In response, to the social media user’s comment, Sanam remarked that not knowing how to cook doesn’t mean the end of the world and that there are bigger things in life for girls to learn. Sanam also requested the user to stop with “unnecessary criticism”.
Pakistani celebrities, especially female actors, have long been the target of social media trolls. From their dressing to the way they talk, they have been at the receiving end of endless criticism.
We are all familiar with the adage that journalism is not a crime. Unfortunately, it seems that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for some reason thinks it is.
When The Current, with pictorial evidence, reported how unhygienic the conditions at a quarantine facility in Peshawar were, and when a few journalists shared the story on social media, the government did not take it very well. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra took to Twitter and quote-tweeted journalist Benazir Shah.
Other than questioning the report, he said:
Criticise the workers that clean bathrooms, but not the passenger abusing privilege to land on a flight he shouldn’t be on. When award winning journalists like Ms @Benazir_Shah decide not to investigate but to insinuate the fight against Corona will get that little bit harder. https://t.co/czG1gMe7Rg
Targeting a well-respected journalist for tweeting a story about bad conditions at a quarantine facility in KP came as a surprise to many who had been commending both the KP government and Jhagra for their hard work in the fight against coronavirus. Jhagra could have ignored the story and not responded at all or just acknowledged the unhygienic conditions. If neither, he certainly could have responded without targeting Shah.
Jhagra is known to be decent and hardworking unlike many of his colleagues. Thus it came as a surprise when he targetted an accredited journalist, despite being fully aware of how the trolling brigade works. By targeting Shah specifically, he unleashed a troll army that is always ready to attack the media, especially women journalists.
The notoriety of the ruling party’s troll army is an open secret despite official denial. Twitter trends against the media and renowned journalists have become a norm. Sharing private pictures of journalists taken from their social media accounts is another feather in the cap of these trolls. Any journalist who has attended Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s media briefings in recent days and dared to ask him a tough question, has faced online trolling and vile attacks.
Jhagra also implied in his Twitter thread regarding The Current’s story that the “privileged” cannot bear 48 hours of discomfort as the quarantine facilities may not be ideal. Well, this wasn’t about privilege. It was about highlighting the unhygienic conditions at a quarantine facility and nothing to do with privilege. Both the privileged and the under-privileged deserve clean quarantine facilities. This problem isn’t limited to Pakistan. In neighbouring India, many such cases of poor and unclean quarantine facilities have been highlighted on social as well as mainstream media.
We understand that the government has limited resources and it will be difficult to deal with such pressures. We also acknowledge how hard the federal, as well as provincial governments, are working to fight the coronavirus and that mistakes are unavoidable as this is something the world hasn’t seen in recent times.
We commend the hard work of our public officials, healthcare workers, doctors, policemen, security officials and everyone out there who is working day in and day out to ensure that the people of Pakistan stay safe and healthy during the pandemic. But we will also mention and highlight facts and news so that our readers stay informed. It is not our job to only highlight the positives; we have to report the truth even if the state does not like it. Journalists cannot be bullied by online trolls or campaigns against them. The media is not your enemy; coronavirus is our common enemy. Fight the virus, don’t fight the media without any reason.
We don’t have rose-tinted glasses on, and red flags are not just flags to us…
Not coming down easy on him as usual, Twitterati are once again trolling Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan for saying that life is not a fairy tale, and “one gets peace only in his or her grave”.
“Happily ever after is a myth. It’s there only in fairy tales. In real life, one gets peace only when he or she lies in their grave,” the premier said Friday as he addressed the inauguration ceremony of a skills development programme called “Hunarmand”.
It wasn’t later that his statements broke the internet as a majority trolled him, and some called his government out for its “flawed” policies.
In a surprising tech twist, Twitter announces that it is testing new ways to limit online abuse and will allow users to control who can reply to their tweets.
Kayvon Beykpour, VP of product at Twitter revealed the plan at a conference in Las Vegas saying that, “the primary motivation is control…We want to build on the theme of authors getting more control, ” reports TechCrunch.
Twitter will be experimenting with different options on who can reply and how much control to give the author of a tweet.
The most private option would prevent anyone from replying to a tweet and users can select who they want to reply to their tweet. Other options include in limiting replies to people mentioned in the tweet or followers only.
