Last month, a video of three girls dressed in jeans and t-shirts in Lahore’s Garden Town made headlines after the trio were caught on video physically attacking a salesman, seemingly without provocation, at a petrol station convenience store. With online rumours alluding to the girls’ influential and affluent backgrounds, public sympathy rose in flames for the seemingly hapless salesman, with the who’s who of showbiz entering the fray to add their two cents on their Instagram Stories.

Unable to stomach the slew of comments slating them for attacking a man seemingly out of the blue, actress Mariyam Nafees expressed sorrow and anger. “Unfortunately, we live in a society where you have to provide proof if you have been harassed,” said Mariyam. She went on to detail the verbal abuse the girls endured before they took their anger out on the salesman. According to her, their only crime was to dress in Western clothing, which prompted the salesman to make lewd comments pertaining to their body and clothing.

Mariyam added that matters only escalated from there, leaving the girls with no choice but to attack the man who had verbally abused them without cause.

“Just because the girls were wearing Western clothes and had stepped out for some tea, people assumed they were public property,” lamented Mariyam.