There is no denying that minorities are often mistreated in various parts of Pakistan. In many cases, they are even victims of heinous crimes including sexual assault, mental torture and a great amount of humiliation. A recent example of 14-year-old Sunita Masih’s case is proof of the same. The minor was gang raped by a group of Muslim men in Faisalabad this week, after refusing to recite the Kalimah. Not only this but half of her head was shaved off soon after. When news of the incident spread like wildfire on Tuesday evening, several Pakistani celebrities took to social media on Wednesday to condemn the continuation of such horrific acts in the country, collectively demanding #JusticeForSunitaMaseeh.
Often leading the pack with his blatant and honest comments, actor Adnan Siddiqui wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter, “Feeling sick to the stomach. With each new case, humanity plunges deeper and deeper into a dreary, dark pit. Why are we turning into morally depraved monsters? Abhorrent! #JusticeforSunitaMaseeh.” Armeena Rana Khan lamented that while we continue to fight for innocent people around the world (and rightly so!), we often tend to forget about the discrimination faced by minority groups in Pakistan. “Sunita Masih, a Christian girl from Faisalabad, aged just 14 has allegedly been gang raped. She was asked to recite the Kalma. When she refused her hair was shaved off. So, lots of activism for the innocents elsewhere, great but how about raising our voices here too? #minorities,” she wrote on social media.
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Following suit, actor Faysal Qureshi posted, “Appalled. Speechless. Assailants of such crimes should be granted the highest form of punishment so that they can be an example for all those who even think of committing such atrocious crimes. #SunitaMaseeh #Minorities #RapeVictims.” Child rights activist and actor Nadia Jamil was quick to express her feelings too, while referring to her personal experience with sexual abuse. “As a survivor myself I assure you, there is hope to rehabilitate and move forward for her. Her dignity must be preserved. If she wants to share her picture, it should be her choice,” stated Jamil. She requested her followers to not post pictures of Masih and respect her privacy.
