This past week witnessed a myriad of Pakistani stars making their way to the Karachi Press Club to express their opposition towards rape culture. Mahira Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Mansha Pasha, Frieha Altaf, Sheema Kermani, Ayesha Omar, Yasir Hussain and Ali Rehman were just some of the A-listers in attendance. While they stood in solidarity for the victim of the recent Lahore-Sialkot motorway incident, many of them also demanded for sex education to be made a part of the school curriculum. While the images that surfaced on social media gave off the impression that everything was a smooth sail at the protest, one Facebook user has now painted a different picture of what went down on the occasion. Here is what he had to say!
Muhammad Moiz took to the social media platform and penned a long message, which he made public for everyone else to read. He started off with, “I have way too much rage to be able to make a coherent post but I will one because now this has become too much.” Providing details about the protest – which was organized by the trans community – he added, “This is what happened at the Nationwide Transgender Protest on Rape and Transmisogyny in Pakistan. Frieha Altaf moved the water stall and limo soda vendors back (he was giving everything on discount to the protestors but was clearly too ugly to be in this celebrity protests press shots). The celebs formed their pretty little protest teaming with their personal PR handlers and photographers, naturally all the media went to them because over 200 poor transgender women and khwajasiras weren’t worth it.”
Calling out Gilani for the same, Moiz claimed that she too refused to join in the trans protest “which is literally on rape and violent misogyny.” He wrote, “Yes, this includes Sarwat Gilani, you all’s latest feminist icon (limited to BBC), who made b***s**t rhetorical comments about good touch and bad touch. The trans women eventually left because all coverage is now gone to cover the pretty celebs in their pretty little ‘protest’. The pretty little celebs’ pretty little protest ends and they all go back home in their chauffeur driven vehicles.”
Moiz expressed disappointment about the celebrities being praised endlessly by fans after their images from the KPC protest went viral on the internet. “Next, they post their selfies with probably two transgender fans, and are now being ‘lauded’ for their bravery by the bandwagon liberals (with zero understanding of representation and who gets seen as saying what and to what end),” he mentioned. According to Moiz, two transgender women were being threatened with violence during the protest while media cameras were pulling away. “And this elitist entitled bunch of losers had the gall to use national trauma for personal PR, practically undoing the very transwomen’s protest that was happening 10 feet from them.”
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He feels Pakistan’s core issue has always been and will continue to be classism. “All of our struggles must be on dismantling this classist hegemony on rights and safety! And these social climbers now masquerading as the ultimate manifestation of our culture (aka celebs) better be the first to go.
They are NOT allies and do NOT confuse their opportunism with support. We did it with the NGOs before and look where it has led us. We are repeating the same mistakes. All people need to divest the movements from celebrities and bring back the resistance home – to the people. And yes, I sound harsh and radical because I am – because we have to be. This fakeness has gone on for far too long and the last thing we can leave to corporate elitism is our pain. Our pain is NOT for sale,” Moiz concluded, adding the hashtags #minoritycapitalism#ourpainisnotforsale#therevolutionwillnotbetelevised.