‘Me Too and ‘Times Up’, which originally initiated in the west, may not have led to any proper movement in Pakistan but it has definitely opened a window of communication. In a patriarchal society like ours, where women are suppressed in almost every avenue, it is the beginning of a much-needed motion to combat issues like domestic abuse, sexual harassment, gender inequality, etc.
The most recent case to have hit the deadlines is of Mohsin Abbas Haider versus his estranged wife Fatema Sohail, who recently came to the fore with allegations of domestic violence against the artist. She gave detailed accounts of several violent instances and attached visual evidence of her bruised and battered face.
“On 26th November 2018, I caught my husband cheating; when I confronted him, instead of being embarrassed he started beating me and I was pregnant at that time,” she posted on Facebook. “He pulled me from hair, dragged me on floor, kicked me several times, punched me on face and threw me on the wall. I was brutally beaten by my husband – my caretaker!”
She informed that she contacted a friend, who took her to the hospital, but thankfully her child wasn’t harmed. As is the norm with most South Asian women, who believe they should deal with such issues until they become absolutely intolerable, Fatema decided to save her marriage for her child, who was born on May 20, 2019.
“While I was in operation theatre in Lahore, my husband was in Karachi sleeping with his girlfriend..., an emerging model/actor. He later posts depressing statuses to get public attention. My family stood with me but my better half chose not to. Mohsin visited after 2 days of delivery just to take images and gain some publicity. He did not bother to check on his son. It was only a drama for social appreciation,” she continued, adding that Mohsin even refused to take his son’s responsibility.
She painted a very bleak and unfortunate picture.
Several artists including Mahira Khan, Mehreen Jabbar, Asma Nabeel, Ushna Shah, Osman Khalid Butt, Hania Amir and others have condemned the act on social media while some have endorsed Fatima’s story. Among them are Gohar Rasheed, Dua Malik and Mohsin’s neighbour in Lahore, who spoke up against him and stated that they have witnessed him getting violent with his wife.
Responding to the allegations, Mohsin Abbas Haider held a press conference on Sunday to present his side of the story; he was swearing upon the Holy Book the entire duration. He refuted all the allegations, emphasizing that his wife had a habit of lying and sharing their personal life with others. He explained that they were not on good terms; he wanted to separate from her and marry someone else but Fatema disapproved of it. She also recently showed up with their son at midnight and insisted on living together.
“Why do we always play the ‘woman card’? Mohsin asserted, adding, “Every woman who cries may not necessarily be telling the truth. Can’t men be victims?
In an attempt to counter Fatema’s claims, he went on to explain that while she was giving birth to their child, he wasn’t with his alleged girlfriend. He was in fact shooting for a project with producer Sheheryar, who has apparently backed him. He furthered that he has been brought up amidst four women and knows how to respect them. Therefore, he can never think of harming a woman.
Yesterday, Mohsin uploaded a video on Facebook, justifying his position further. He maintained that whatever Fatema has stated about their abusive relationship, she had told the exact story to him about her brother and his wife. He also pointed out that he has taken up not just his son’s but his wife’s responsibility as well, post separation, and he proof of it. Towards the end, he requested everyone to investigate the matter before drawing any conclusions.
However, we wonder, why did he miss out on these details at the press conference that took place a day before.
His alleged girlfriend, on the other hand, expressed her disgust on being dragged into the matter. She took to social media and shared, “Fatema has used a line on me without any evidence that I was sleeping with her husband and all of you accused me of being a home wrecker. Use your senses; if she had any evidence she would have posted that too.”
“If she is a victim of domestic abuse then I have sympathy for her but I would like to announce that I am not the reason behind their marital issues,” she added.
Fatema, however, plans to take the legal route and has registered an FIR against Mohsin Abbas Haider.
– This is a developing story
