In a twist, CCTV footage shows Faisalabad women stealing

New CCTV footage shows the four women, who were beaten and paraded naked in Fasialabad's Bawa Chak Market in a viral video earlier this week had entered the store to commit theft The footage caused social media outrage with users condemning the shopkeeper and his employees for brutally assaulting and humiliating the women in question.

The footage shows the women entering the pharmaceutical store and stealing medicine and other merchandise, while the shopkeeper runs out and alerts neighboring shop owners.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has ordered a thorough probe into the incident. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Firdous Rai also met the women in police custody.

After the new CCTV footage surfaced, social media users have expressed a variety of mixed emotions.

Senator Sherry Rehman emphasized the shameful act of violence inflicted upon the women and that even if they had stolen merchandise, they should have been attacked.

"Shame is the colour defining many of our minds, hearts again. Women are stripped naked, beaten, no one helps in #Faisalabad. It doesn’t matter what petty crimes they were involved in. Sorry to see some anchors creating a false equivalence even between thievery and public shaming."

Senator Rehman stated that mob mentality was a lethal illness in Pakistan and needs to be treated with strict measures.

"Mob violence in Sialkot and Faisalabad tells us the state needs to act. The Govt needs to address violent extremism in its full grisly face, not just make arrests. There has to be a clear message of zero tolerance for weaponising faith or hate or misogyny. Fix the cancer within."

Twitter user Tuba tweeted that women should be blamed if they are in the wrong.

"You can’t put out a wrong statement when you have the whole footage. The woman clearly stripped herself. #Faisalabad Blame men where they’re the wrong doers, blame women when they’re the wrong doers."

The police have arrested 14 people; including the owner of the store, Saddam, Faisal, Zaheer Anwar and Faqir Hussain and registered a case against the accused under sections 354 A-509-147-149 TP.

Asiyah Bibi, the woman most prominently seen in the video asked for the arrest of a man named Saddam Hussein, under section 354 A of the penal code.