A woman in jeans is an easy target in our society: Mariyam Nafees

Earlier this week, a video of three girls dressed in jeans and T-shirts in Lahore’s Garden Town made headlines after the trio was caught on video physically assaulting a vendor, seemingly without provocation, at a convenience store gas station.

With online rumors pointing to the girls’ strong and rich backgrounds, public sympathy has been fueled for the seemingly hapless seller, with the who’s who of showbiz jumping into the fray to add their two cents on their Instagram Stories.

Echoing the majority of backlash that sided with the offending seller, musician and actor Haroon Shahid, clearly taken aback, paused from the video and picked up his keyboard to say: “What the hell is this? Who are these people?”

Sympathy appeared in limited supply for the enraged women as actress and host Sanam Jung also criticized them on social media. “Very disappointed!” she wrote on her IG stories. In solidarity with the shopkeeper who was attacked, Sanam added: “They’re leaving, aren’t they? Power and money over justice will prevail!

Meanwhile, using his Instagram stories, British Pakistani actor Ahsan Khan appeared to refrain from overt judgment as he commented below the video: “Does anyone know the whole story?”

Someone, it turns out, claims to know the whole story: Ishq Jalebi Actress Mariyam Nafees, who publicly confirmed on social media that she personally knows the girls in the video. Unable to contain the barrage of comments they were showered with for attacking a seemingly startled man, Mariyam took the time to create a video clip to explain exactly how the incident unfolded. Demanding the full video from the shop owner that would show what caused the attack, Mariyam launched her own clip on her Instagram Stories expressing her sadness and anger that the cards are always stacked against women.

“Unfortunately, we live in a society where you have to provide proof if you’ve been harassed,” Mariyam said. “And those who demand it are usually the ones who have been harassed many times, so none of that [public reaction] it shocks me.”

Mariyam, who confirmed she was not being paid to voice her opinions to speak up for her friends, added sarcastically: “They were educated and of course they saw a random guy and started beating him up! You believe that;”

Adding that there is definitely another side to the story, Mariyam went on to detail the verbal abuse the girls suffered before venting their anger on the vendor. According to her, their only crime was dressing up in western clothes for after-dark snacks, prompting the vendor to make lewd comments about their bodies and clothes.

“These girls are now receiving death threats and rape threats,” said a furious Maryam. “But nobody knows the other side of the story. This man started calling them whores and used other dirty words before telling them to leave. So they asked, ‘Why should we go out?'”

Mariyam added that things only escalated from there, leaving the girls with no choice but to lash out at the man who had verbally abused them for no reason.

“Just because the girls were wearing western clothes and had gone out for some tea, people assumed they were public property,” Maryam lamented. “I just want to know, if the girls wear western clothes, is there any security? Is there any liability? You men out there – if someone else started commenting on your mother’s or sister’s breast size, how would you react?’

For those concerned that the girls in the video are using their wealth to gain the upper hand in their quest for justice, Mariyam has prepared a comeback. “None of these girls come from powerful families,” she revealed. “One of them has come from another city. This is not an act of power.”

Ending with a plea to those responsible to go ahead with the full video, Mariyam asked “Where is the owner of the pump? There must be a recording of this. Post the recording where the pump salesman was verbally abusing the girls. Please release the audio so we can get the full picture.”

With Mariyam taking up the mantle to speak for the underdog, it remains to be seen whether the public influence will change direction.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.