Hina Butt’s heckling in London leads to outrage online

KARACHI: Social media users took to their accounts on Monday to condemn and comment on videos of PML-N leader Hina Parvez Butt being heckled allegedly by a bunch of PTI supporters on the streets of London.

On Monday, videos surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) of presumably PTI supporters taunting and heckling Hina Butt while she seemed to be on a private family excursion in London, accompanied by her young son. She had posted one of the videos on her timeline, sharing that she was “attacked and harassed by PTI supporters who hurled abuses and threw bottles at her” and that it all happened in front of her son, while also asking whether such behaviour would make the country look good or even worse.

The videos posted on X — by several UK-based Pakistani journalists and by one of the hecklers — showed Hina Butt being followed by a group of people with PTI flags in their hands and chanting slogans, calling her a thief, and one video also showing her being called obscenities.

Social media users were quick to give their opinion on the incident, there being a strong burst of condemnation online. PML-N leader and former governor of Sindh Muhammad Zubair condemned the incident with this post on X: “This is nothing new from the PTI goons. They didn’t spare Marriyum Aurangzeb in a place like Masjid e Nabvi. Publicly abusing [a] woman in [the] presence of her son is as despicable as it can get.”

Journalist Raza Ahmad Rumi posted on X: “So sorry to see this [Hina Parvez Butt] — you just report this to the police. These rowdy, misled individuals do not represent the majority of Pakistanis abroad.” while Secretary-General of the PML-N Ahsan Iqbal called the incident “highly condemnable.”

While former federal minister for human rights and former PTI member Shireen Mazari, “strongly condemn[ed] the filthy abuse & attack against Hina P Butt in London”, she went on in her X post to remind everyone that PML-N leader Khawaja Asif and others “have repeatedly abused PTI women (I was one such target) while PMLN & allied parties’ women remained silent or smirked”, adding that “criticism is acceptable, but abuse of women is always unacceptable.”

Senior TV anchor Asma Shirazi took to X to note her disappointment at the way Hina Parvez Butt was treated, calling it “shameful and condemnable” and asking Hina Butt to “stay strong”.

Other women journalists, including Meher Bukhari and Munizae Jahangir, also strongly condemned the incident. Jahangir posted: “It is very unfortunate that our politicians are treated this way. Strongly condemn this nasty attack on [Hina Parvez Butt] and her son. Those responsible must be held accountable, and Hina Parvez Butt must take action against them.”

Political analyst Ammar Masood also posted on X, saying that the harassment faced by Hina Butt was “condemnable” and that “this mentality is the reason why the May 9 incident happened”.

While several PML-N supporters lauded Hina for her patience, some supporters called out the party for not taking any action against groups that launch such coordinated attacks against PML-N leaders.

A vocal PML-N supporter on X, Dr Humma Saif wrote “Stop shoving everything under carpet in [the] name of ‘sabr’. Tagging the PML-N’s official account, she added,” if you can’t stand up for [your party’s women leaders], you can never stand up for anyone. High time to take serious legal action against harassers (sic).”

Verbal attacks against PML-N members have intensified ever since the vote of no-confidence, moved in April 2022 and which resulted in PTI Chairperson Imran Khan’s ouster as PM. In September 2022, a group of people (who are usually seen outside PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s Avenfield residence) heckled former information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in a coffee shop on Edgware Road, London.

In April 2022, a group raised slogans against Marriyum Aurangzeb and other members of the PDM inside Masjid-e-Nabvi, a move that resulted in strong action by Saudi Arabian authorities.