Issue bigger than Ali Zafar: Momina Mustehsan on #MeToo

Lahore: After Pakistani singer and actor Meesha Shafi, make-up artist Leena Ghani, journalist Maham Javaid and blogger Humna Raza; popular Pakistani singer Momina Mustehsan has said that the issue of ‘sexual harassment is bigger than just Ali Zafar’ and all the offenders should be sorry.

Momina demanding an apology from offenders tweeted, “#MeToo needs a response #ImSorry from the offenders. Nothing will change until they acknowledge, take responsibility and make amends.”

In a detailed Twitter post, she says: “Issue is bigger than just Ali Zafar. This is about the relationship of trust that men take for granted with women. Very often, as we can see, women are violated by the very men they know, trust and often work with.”

“Some people may immediately question the woman’s character, for their own defence, and drag women through courts and humiliate them, knowing fully well that it is impossible to prove cases of physical harassment, hence forcing some women to eventually have no option but to pull back their cases. This affects families, lives, careers, all of it,” Momina adds.

She said that she stood with all the women who had to face sexual harassment. “I stand by all the women who have had to deal with the inappropriate behaviour of any sort. It’s time Pakistani women are able to stand up and hold their oppressors accountable, no matter how strong or influential they are. Don’t be scared. They are strong because we are weak – let’s change that. Speak up, stand up,” Momina writes.

Concluding her post, the singer tweets, “But I would want to ask @AliZafarSays and all the other men one question: Do you think you have EVER knowingly or unknowingly, violated a woman in any way or form. If you have (no one is an angel) I request you to acknowledge your fault, apologize unconditionally, learn from the mistakes, and become a better human being.”

All the allegations against Ali started pouring in after Meesha Shafi had accused him of sexual harassment and lack of respect for women. Leena Ghani then came to Shafi’s support saying, “His (Ali Zafar) behaviour displays a clear lack of respect for women. Inappropriate contact, groping, sexual comments should not fall in the grey area between humour and indecency.”

Maham said that Ali had allegedly tried to forcefully kiss her cousin and take her to a restroom with him. While Humna accused him of touching her inappropriately when she approached him for a selfie.