A hot cup of Chai, the comfort of my bed, the fan set at the right speed, and an hour-long social media spree, is there a better way to start one’s morning? Why yes, of course you can! You can wake up as Jeff Bezos with full head of hair or, better yet, you can wake up with a purpose. The latter was the mood on my social media when I saw a flurry of mad posts about an IOBM concert. Instagram stories, Facebook statues, you name it, I saw it. So I asked myself “Why are some IOBM students angry?” and I instantly knew why….
IOBM Concert Controversy – Background
As per sources, as always, it all started from a “ARE YOU READY FOR THE BIGGEST EVENT”. On their FACEBOOK university group, IOBM students were asked who they would like to see perform in a concert. Would it be the culturally relevant, My JUNA and July is gonna be a mess, Hasan Raheem, or Ali Zafar. From what we have gathered, the concert was being organized by IOBM’s Entertainment Plus Society.
Many IOBM students stood against inviting Ali Zafar – an alleged harasser – owing to the fact that the jury is still out on his innocence in the Meesha Shafi sexual harassment case. However, the pleas of these were to no avail and Ali Zafar’s performance was announced to the student body.
Proactive students then tried reaching out the administration as well however, as per these students, the emails fell on deaf ears. Students too were divided on the issue. Some saw the clearance of Ali Zafar, in different, but related court cases, as evidence for why the concert should go ahead. Others, knowing the details of the case, stood against this performance.
Reaction
Though many IOBM students were angry about the occasion, “THE BIGGEST EVENT” carried ahead. However reactions on social media were clear as crystal – the students had spoken and they were MAD! And perhaps rightly so.
Though we are yet to hear from the IOBM administration on the matter, one thing is clear. The outcry was raised by very few people relative to the size of the IOBM student body. This charge was led mostly by women, and few men. The charge was led by a small cohort of empathetic individuals who deeply understand how pervasive sexual harassment is in Pakistan. Usually called as “the leftists” or “the feminists”, a few good individuals stood up in empathy for an issue most should raise up their voice on. Yet, we failed each other again!
