After a long hush in the #MeToo movement in Pakistan, a few women have stepped forward on social media to name and shame men they say have harassed and abused them and demand an end to a culture of sexual exploitation and harassment. Anchor and TV host Rabia Anum tweeted on October 9 that numerous young women have gotten in touch with her to talk about being harassed by a “known social media guy and a comedian”.
Many tweeps concluded that her tweet alluded to stand-up comic Junaid Akram:
Some of the social media users have shared with Images, on condition on anonymity, stories alleging that Akram behaved inappropriately with them:
Another woman shared,
“I was 16 and had just finished my O levels. I followed Junaid Akram on social media and would occasionally comment on his posts. Once he messaged me to say that I shouldn’t comment on his posts that may carry dual meaning as he had some creepy uncles added. I was like ‘okay’ and would then avoid commenting. Another time he asked for my WhatsApp number. I gave it to him. We talked once or twice on WhatsApp. The conversation consists of polite, casual remarks. Once on a Friday, he remarked about Jummah prayers. And then suddenly out of nowhere, he said, ‘I wanna see you’ to which I replied ‘Yes sure, whenever you are in country’ because he was residing out of country at that time. He replied, ‘No, I wanna see you now, if you know what I mean.’ I didn’t know what to reply, so I ended up not replying to his comment and blocked him later.”
Akram has denied all claims of sexual harassment:
Dear All, I have come across some distressing tweets/posts on social media disparaging/defaming me and my name. I would like to state categorically that the assertions made in such tweets are absolutely false, and that I intend to pursue my legal remedies so as to protect myself
— Puffin Man (@junaidakram83) October 11, 2018
Following his denial, another woman has also come forward to share her account of how Akram made her feel uncomfortable on a Turkey tour organised by Polani Travels, where the comedian was supposed to be the headliner.
“At the end of the first day, he messaged me saying the group is going to a nearby tourist attraction and if I’d like to join. However, when I got to the lobby, it was just him and one other woman. Our tour guide came to the lobby but Junaid took him to the side and he went back to his room after their conversation. After we got back to our hotel, we went to eat food in his room and the other girl and I left together. Once I got back to my room, he texted me saying if I wasn’t sleepy, I could come up by myself. I declined.”
“When I asked the guide the next morning why he didn’t join, he informed me that Junaid had told him we’re his friends and we’d prefer going by ourselves. This was obviously not true; my only interaction with Junaid before this was through Facebook and that too our conversation was just about the logistics of the trip.”
Junaid also forcefully grabbed her hand while she was sitting on the bus the next day, which she told him off for instantly and was why she ignored him for the rest of the trip entirely. She also told the travel agency rep soon after it happened, only to find out that another woman entirely had already complained about his inappropriate behaviour.
“I was so sad about it, I didn’t even tell my family thinking they’d make fun of me for actually being a fan,” she added.
No action was taken by Polani Travels after the first complaint nor did they refund the money they had told her they would; the agency chose to put the safety of other female travellers at risk.
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