Mob of men harass foreign tourists in federal capital on Independence Day
Screengrab via Twitter/@Islamabadviews
While the rest of the country celebrated the monumental 75 years of Pakistan's independence, a horrific incident emerged from the country's capital on the same day. In videos doing rounds on Twitter, three foreigners — including two women and a man — can be spotted being harassed by an overwhelmingly large crowd at the Pakistan Monument in Shakarparian.
Islamabad Updates, a Twitter page reporting on the happenings in the city, shared three videos of the incident in which a mob, consisting of only men, could be seen surrounding the tourists, violating their personal space by standing very close to them and staring. The tourists, especially women, appeared distressed and uncomfortable as they tried to look around them and find a way to escape the crowd.
"Boys misbehaving with foreign tourists on the occasion of Pakistan's Independence Day in Shakarparian, Islamabad. Authorities must identify and punish the culprits," the tweet sharing the initial video said. The page also tagged the official Twitter account of the Islamabad police.
— Islamabad Updates (@IslamabadViews) August 15, 2022
The videos sparked outrage on social media with people urging authorities to initiate an investigation into the matter and arrest the culprits involved. After the incident gained online traction, the sense of urgency to identify the culprits was evident as the Islamabad police tweeted about the incident.
"IG Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan took strict notice of the incident. A case has been registered and an investigation has been started,” the tweet read. “The video is being sent to NADRA to identify the accused. All the accused in the video will be identified and arrested. DIG Operations Sohail Zafar Chatta himself will supervise the case. This is a deplorable and criminal act and needs to be strongly condemned by people from all walks of life," the tweets acknowledged.
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) August 15, 2022