Dua Mangi's abduction releases social media vitriol against her

Twitterati respond to moral policing by those blaming the girl for 'inviting' the kidnapping

The kidnapping of a young woman from near a popular hangout spot in Karachi's upscale Defence Housing Authority has sparked a heated debate on social media, with some users going as far as to blame the victim.

One user, Komal Shahid, pointed out that some people on the micro-blogging website were saying that the girl, Dua Mangi, deserved to be kidnapped because she wears sleeveless tops.

"Welcome to our desi society where the fingers will be always pointed towards the woman no matter what even if she's raped, kidnapped or harassed," she tweeted.

Dua Mangi - a young girl, got kidnapped & some people are saying that she "deserves" it because she wears sleeveless tops. Welcome to our desi society where the fingers will be always pointed towards the woman no matter what even if she's raped, kidnapped or harassed. Shameful!

— Komal Shahid (@ArmedWithWords) December 1, 2019

Safia Dia, another user, went on to say that our society would rather victim blame than offer help.

https://twitter.com/pukhtana_tweets/status/1201229682244493312

While Najib Shaikh lamented that those victim blaming Dua "reminded us why Pakistan is in the state it is".

So last night, someone i went to school with, Haris Fatah, was shot, and is in critical condition whilst his friend Dua has been kidnapped from a famous Dhabba in Karachi. The news was circulated to help search for Dua. But some ppl reminded us why Pakistan is in the state it is. pic.twitter.com/7XcKzCblt8

— Najib Shaikh (@NajibShaikhs) December 1, 2019

Areesha Babar, another user, lambasted those justifying predators instead of trying to protect women.

Woman abducted, friend shot in Karachi DHA

Babar also cast doubt over how men are entitled to ask a woman what she is wearing.

She also said that why is it necessary for a woman to have a male always accompanying her for her to be safe.

https://twitter.com/areeshababar24/status/1201376283080450048

Anas Tipu came up with a novel way to stop vile comments from coming in.

He broke it down to three steps: First screenshot the comment, screenshot their profile and then send it to their university or workplace.

3 steps to deal with shitty men in the comments that victim blame & spill bullshit, just like in Dua Mangi incident.

1) screenshot of their comment
2) screenshot of their profile
3) Send it to their university/workplace or publicly call out

THE ONLY WAY TO GO ABOUT IT.
SHARE!!!

— Anas (@teepusahab) December 1, 2019

Mehak Zahra Shah also weighed-in sharing a screenshot of the vile comments being shared saying,"Raise your male children well please!! Save our world from such beasts!"

Raise your male children well please!! Save our world from such beasts! #DuaMangi #PriyankaReddy pic.twitter.com/jZYrSDJoW9

— Mehak Aelia (@MehakZahraShah) December 1, 2019

What happened?

Unidentified armed men kidnapped a young woman, Dua Mangi, and shot her friend, Haris Fatah, in Karachi’s Bukhari Commercial area of DHA on Saturday evening.

The incident occurred at around 8pm on a secluded road near the popular open-air tea cafes in the area.

The kidnapped woman, Dua, was walking with her friend, Haris, when four to five persons in a car attempted to force her to get in their vehicle.

When Haris resisted, they shot him and sped off with Dua.

Soon after the incident, multiple posts went up on social media, informing the public and the authorities of the incident.

A report has been registered at Darakshan Police Station against unidentified men, under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code pertaining to kidnapping and attempted murder on behalf of the injured man’s father, Abdul Fatah.