'Enough is enough': Kubra, Sajal and Mehwish Hayat won't let anyone drag their names through the mud

On Monday, actor Sajal Aly put up a tweet that left some fans confused. Many thought the aforementioned tweet was just some unfiltered thoughts on possibly the misogyny several female stars often face in the industry. "It is very sad that our country is becoming morally debased and ugly," the Mom star had shared. "Character assassination is the worst form of humanity and sin."

Soon after Sajal, actor Kubra Khan, too, shared a message where she shared similar sentiments as her peer, however, the Sang-e-Mar-Mar star was more stern in making her stance known.

"I stayed quiet initially because obviously a fake video isn't going to take over my existence but enough is enough!" she shared. "If you think that any random person can just point his finger at me and I wouldn't respond, then you are terribly mistaken." Her calling out propelled many to dig deeper into the matter.

Over the weekend, an ex-Army major claimed in a YouTube video that several 'actresses and models often stayed at ISI safe houses and were 'used' by former senior officials, according to the officials' closed aids.' Adil Raja further alleged that several politicians were also invited and several videos were purportedly recorded as well.

He went on to claim that the anonymous sources shared that four prominent actors were involved. While Adil didn't fully name the actors he accused of, he took the initials of their names. "First one is MH, second is MK, third is AK (in another video, it sounds like KK) and fourth is SA. I don't want to insinuate something and it is painful for me to share this information with you. God as my witness, you can see how torn I feel about this."

Kubra, while threatening to sue Adil, added in her statement, "Before you start to heap allegations upon people, have some proof first. You have a total of three days to come up with this proof which you claim is the truth. If not, either retract your statement and publicly apologise or I will be suing you for defamation. And don't worry, lucky for you, I am not just from here. I am from the UK, so I will come there if I have to. Because I am on the side with the truth and I am not scared of anyone."

Adil, however, added how he never named Kubra.

After Kubra, Mehwish took to Twitter and shared her two cents. "People forget humanity for their shallow popularity. Hope you’re enjoying your two minutes of fame," the Punjab Nahi Jaungi star wrote. "Just because I am an actress, doesn’t mean my name can be dragged through the mud."

She went on to add, "Shame on you for spreading baseless allegations and insinuations about someone you know nothing about and even bigger shame on people who believe this bullshit. This just shows the sickness of our society that laps up this gutter journalism without any thought. But this stops and it stops now! I won’t allow anyone to defame my name."

Celebrated designer Maheen Khan later shared a poem about 'villainisation' of women. "As we reflect on the villainisation of women, it’s important to continue holding the media accountable. This recent attack on actors is after all nothing but thinly disguised misogyny. Why don't we simply respect and applaud their achievements."

Anoushey Ashraf, too, commented. "So, why name women in media? Because it brings more impact to your stories since people 'know' them. They make for good gossip and scandals. Famous people make for headlines," the famous host shared on Instagram. "It's a part and parcel of the trade and as hard as you are affected by character assassination, I hope my fellow artists can find the strength and mindset it takes to block this negativity that thrives off their names." She added, "Misogynistic, vile and downright disrespectful. Taking initials? The class and tact of most men in this country are questionable."

Syeda Tuba also shed light on the matter while sharing Sajal quote and wrote, "Dragging accomplished and hardworking women for petty politics and point scoring is disgusting. Actresses and models are easy targets for people. Who will hold these cheap rumour mills accountable?" She added, "More power to you Sajal Aly and the others."

Zara Noor Abbas penned, "Freedom of speech didn't mean anyone can get up one day and link women to men and vice versa." Zara further shared, "Being an actress doesn't mean she would go quiet because you would defame her for the luxury of her job. And being an ex-Army officer certainly doesn't mean you will be respected for your idiotic opinions. Accountability matters and it will go under question for whoever will put allegations on women and men without facts."

Adil Raja responds

Adil has since taken to Twitter and offered clarification on accusations he had levelled against the actors. "There are numerous names of models, actresses, and celebrities in Pakistan and abroad, with the initials that I have mentioned," he tweeted.

"I do not endorse and condemn any of the names of the celebrities being mentioned by anyone on any forum/social media in this regard. Having said that, I'm appalled at the social media trends and mindset of our society, which is fixated on the women being abused instead of the abusers and the cause of abuse. I'm disappointed and feel ashamed at the debate on social media regarding the defamation of certain actresses," he added.

The Express Tribune could not independently verfiy the authenticity of the video.