Zara Abid was among the unfortunate people who lost their lives in the recent PIA plane crash
LAHORE: Zara Abid was among the unfortunate people who lost their lives in the recent PIA plane crash. As the names of those who had boarded the ill-fated flight began circulating on the media, flocks of Pakistani men rushed to her Instagram profile to leave unsolicited comments below her pictures even though the news whether she survived the crash or not was yet to be confirmed.
It is appalling to see that this tragedy was still fresh and people had turned to vile means of harassing someone who was at the time, potentially no more. While this moral brigade is not unusual in case of our society, what it does show is that our people do not leave even the dead in peace. Some comments self-righteously claimed that she belonged to hell for wearing revealing clothes, while others gave unwarranted recommendations that she should mend her ways if she survives. This issue is more to do with Zara Abid being a woman in our Pakistani society which takes it upon itself to police women in all aspects of life. This incident is not an isolated one, with women from the world of entertainment being targeted by a plethora of hate comments on the way they dress, who they are seen with, or what activity they choose to engage in.
Time and again, sections of our society become self-proclaimed religious preachers, directing women as to what they should or should not do.
Sadia Shahzaib
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2020.
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