Pakistani woman assaulted by over 400 men

A young woman was assaulted by a massive crowd of over 400 people as she and her friends visited a national monument in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on the country’s independence day.

In a video that went viral days after 14 August, Pakistan’s Independence Day, hundreds of men could be seen picking up the woman and throwing her up in the air. It has drawn condemnation across the country, which has been struggling to deal with violence against women.

"I was stripped and my clothes were torn apart," she said, according to a report by local newspaper The Express Tribune. She was filming a video at Minar-e-Pakistan with some of her friends when the attack took place. 

She said gold jewellery, her mobile phone and cash were "forcibly taken" by people in the crowd.

PM @ImranKhanPTI personally spoke to IGPunjab, police is catching all culprits involved in manhandling of female tiktoker in Lahore & those damaging statue of Ranjit Singh at LahoreFort.

These are gross violations of laws & social norms, govt won’t spare a single person involved.

— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) August 18, 2021

Local police registered a case against 400 unidentified assailants under several sections of the country’s criminal code, including assault or use of criminal force against a woman and stripping her of her clothes, theft, rioting and unlawful assembly. Non-bailable clauses have also been added.

Uproar on social media

Pakistan’s Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident on Twitter: "What is more worrying is the direction our society is headed in. The recent anti-women incidents are a reminder that malaise is deep-rooted."

While assaulting a woman at Minar e Pakistan, the hundreds of men involved filmed themselves. Thanks to to the abundance of video evidence, can we expect over 400 arrests to be made in Lahore without delay? @PunjabPoliceCPO

— fatima bhutto (@fbhutto) August 17, 2021

He was joined by several other politicians and public figures including activists, celebrities and members of civil society. 

I can’t believe what I just saw!!! I’ve said it before and I will say it again - make an example out of these men!

#MinarePakistan

— Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) August 17, 2021

While many condemned the act, several people also took to Twitter to blame the victim and trend "#NotAllMen".

Recent cases of violence against women have triggered a debate about Pakistan’s failure to protect women, a culture of impunity, and the reasons behind society's tendency to curtail women's independence and inflict pain on them.

Pakistan currently ranks as the sixth most dangerous country in the world for women and is currently witnessing a rapid rise in cases of sexual crimes and domestic violence. 

Seerat Chabba

© Deutsche Welle 2021