While the whole country is under a renewed distress over deeply entrenched misogyny that was exposed yet again after the motorway incident recently, one new case of a girl being mentally violated for years has come forward.
It all started off with Pakistanis commenting how they wanted a certain guy named Ibsham Zahid behind bars
It turns out that Ibsham Zahid has been harassing a girl named Fatima by threatening to rape her and kill her family, for years
A girl named Fatima shared her story by posting a few screenshots on an Instagram account. The images, audio and video clips shared by the girl reveal how she was being forced into a ‘relationship’ by Ibsham. According to the girl’s account, upon being refused, the guy lost his patience and stooped low to such a point where he said, ” abhi apko bol raha hun,meray saath aik night spend kar lain warna 30 hazaar main ajkal Lahore main qatal ho jatay hain, aisa na ho apka baap iss duniya say chala jaye.”
The girl, Fatima, accusing Ibsham of threatening her also shared a video of him flaunting his weapons to intimidate the girl and her family
Amidst the claims made by Fatima, the sister of Ibhsam, Maroosh Minhaj, has spoken up and shared her side of the story by mentioning that Ibhsam is just 16 years old and he is suffering from mental health conditions
The sister revealed that her brother was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD), anger management issues and is highly emotionally unstable. She also mentioned that her parents are making conscious efforts by seeking help through multiple professionals however they have not been able to successfully manage the guy.
Maroosh has stated that she and her parents have tried their ‘best’ and they realize that being around Ibsham is not safe for other people who are linked to him in any way. She also revealed how they wanted to send him to rehab but him being a minor makes the case a little more sensitive than usual.
Upon receiving a clarification by Ibsham’s sister, Fatima stated that Maarosh was tweaking the facts to present a different version of the story and if she really stands for the rights of women then she should be supporting Fatima too
Fatima shared that her family contacted Ibsham’s parents and despite allegedly apologizing they haven’t stopped their son from using phones, cars or guns at the age of 16 and being mentally unstable
Fatima also alleges that her family complained to the police twice with FIR but they have not taken her case seriously and Ibsham Zahid continues to allegedly threaten her, her parents and their friends with death and rape
If the story shared by Fatima is true and the guy named Ibsham is, in reality, guilty of the mentioned things then it just goes to show how we continue to ignore seriously dangerous behavior in men. The years of mental anguish, torture and harassment faced by this girl allegedly at the hands of Ibsham is shocking. No one can imagine the torture and pain of the girl who has been subjected to the threats of rape and her family being subjected to death threats.
There’s a dire need to address the toxic masculinity in our society by taking appropriate measures to educate the masses and to punish the culprits. Authorities need to take complaints made by women seriously before something worse happens. Families need to get their mentally unstable sons the correct professional help such patients need. There needs to be an end to families enabling toxic behavior of their sons by allowing them cars, guns and whatnot at any age, let alone under legal age of majority. The judicial system needs to provide justice to ensure that a systematic change is brought in order to curb the menace of patriarchy and misogyny. Most of all, we as a society need to stand up for women, consistently, and vociferously.
