Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Sania Ashiq Jabeen has sought legal redress after cyber harassment against her reared its ugly head with trolls making immoral remarks on pictures of herself with her late father.
A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member, Jabeen posted a copy of the letter she submitted to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), in which she filed a complaint against online trolling from both official and shady accounts.
Addressing FIA’s additional director in her letter, Jabeen detailed that there was a deep harassment campaign against her that spanned across multiple social media platforms. She said that an image in which she was pictured with her father mere hours before his demise, were doctored to give them a ‘sexual meaning’. She furthered that she received unwanted, abhorrent calls from unknown numbers.
The MPA insisted that she was entitled to legal protection as a public office holder and that the harassment had caused damage to her reputation and undue stress for her and her loved ones. Jabeen requested that action be taken against the alleged absconders under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the Pakistan Penal Code.
I have decided to follow all legal procedures to identify such accounts & report them to relevant authorities; because being member of legislative assembly its my duty to follow the rule of land wherever possible. I’ve to prove to every girl that this society still cares for us pic.twitter.com/PDTS2II2an
— Sania Ashiq (@SaniaaAshiq) October 26, 2021
Jabeen furthered that the situation she was in only strengthened her belief in divine justice. She cited former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s example and said that he too left his fate in God’s hands. The MPA said that the actions against her proved that she was on the ‘right path’ and declared a renewed commitment to her party leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
I follow Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.w.) who was told to say:
"فقل حسبی اللہ لاالہ الاھوعلیہ توکلت"
I follow Nawaz Sharif who rested his case with Allah on stairs of courts. I too say this on oath that every single person maligning me, I ask Allah to do justice to each one of you.— Sania Ashiq (@SaniaaAshiq) October 26, 2021
The young politician has been subjected to intense online abuse and trolling after obscene videos surfaced with the allegation that she was featured in them.
This wasn’t the only incident in recent weeks in which a politician was left to the mercy of vicious trolls. PML-N’s Zubair Umar also became the target of online harassment after alleged inappropriate videos of him emerged on social media last month.
