Hina Bayat has taken to Instagram to condemn the recent mob attack in Lahore targetting a young woman over her dress. The incident unfolded in Lahore's Ichra Bazaar when a horde of angry men confronted a woman wearing a kurta with Arabic calligraphy, mistakenly assuming it contained blasphemous content. Hina, reacting strongly to the incident, posted a video message on Instagram, questioning the actions of the mob and challenging the essence of proclaiming a religious identity. Launching a firm broadside, she stated, “Are we worthy of being called Muslims? We harass a woman in a market on merely some letters written on her clothes. We give her death threats and then make her apologise.”
“An apology for what? The apology must come from men who think of themselves as the custodians of religion,” she maintained, calling for accountability. Hina asserted that those responsible for the harassment should face punishment and issue an apology. The viral video on social media captured the terrified woman seeking refuge in a shop, vehemently denying any blasphemous act. Prompt intervention by a police team, led by Gulberg Circle Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, averted a potential tragedy.