New Delhi: The security guard at Lahore’s Greater Iqbal Park, adjacent to Minar-e-Pakistan, where a mob of over 400 men had allegedly sexually assaulted a TikTok star last week, has said that the survivor “stayed till the mob gathered and didn’t try to escape even when she got the opportunity to”. The video of the guard making this claim has gone viral on Twitter with over 125.9k views.
#minarepakistan On Duty Security Guard Statement About #ayeshaakram #lahoreincident, pic.twitter.com/ZoqpJsGsZ3
— Asjad Khokhar (@Akhokhar333) August 18, 2021
Lahore Police Tuesday filed an FIR against hundreds of unidentified men, Dawn reported.
A report in The Pakistan Frontier termed the Minar-e-Pakistan incident a “publicity stunt”, which the TikTok influencer Ayesha Akram had planned with her partner Rambo to boost their follower count. Rambo is reportedly associated with the TV show Sar-e-Aam, a crime series telecast on ARY News.
In a Twitter thread, The Pakistan Frontier claimed that those trying to protect her from the mob were also her own teammates.
In another video, her own team member can be seen groping her, the same team member who can be seen covering her as a bodyguard. pic.twitter.com/VYkq9oflvL
— The Pakistan Frontier (@PakFrontier) August 19, 2021
ARY News cited sources who claimed that the TikToker had asked the police to not take any further action in the case.
That's End of #ayeshaakram story pic.twitter.com/jVxPEnpH7g
— Awais Tweets ?? (@iam_Awaiss) August 19, 2021
A separate report in The Pakistan Frontier said that the social media influencer had misled the police by giving the house address of some old couple. An interview of the couple has also gone viral on social media, in which they can be seen saying they were tired of making people understand that there is no Ayesha Akram living with them.
These people were presented as parents in the FIR. I request the government to put this girl and the two main characters in jail along with these 400 people. There is a deep conspiracy to tarnish the image of our Pakistan.?? @chotichirya#lahoreincident#اقرارالحسن_کو_گرفتار_کرو pic.twitter.com/SH6tn2l0Lu
— Yaad e Mazi (@YaadMazi) August 20, 2021
‘A plot to defame Pakistan’
Many Pakistanis have come out to condemn her, with one Twitter user saying that, “Women like Ayesha do more damage to the REAL WOMEN’s cause than anyone else” while another said, “So it was a publicity stunt to get viewership or paid campaign to defame Pakistan?”
I fell for it. The entire Pakistan fell for it.
This Ayesha Khan #MinareEPakistan incident has turned out to be a blatant publicity stunt.
Women like Ayesha do more damage to the REAL WOMENs cause than anyone else. This woman should be charged and punished.
— Mir Mohammad Alikhan (@MirMAKOfficial) August 19, 2021
So it was a publicity stunt to get viewership or paid campaign to defame Pakistan ?
— Waqar Zaka (@ZakaWaqar) August 18, 2021
Another user slammed Ayesha and her team for the “cheap publicity stunt”.
Commenting on the state of affairs in Pakistan, a user wrote, “What GOOD REPUTATION of Pakistan is there in need of defaming?”
Cat has come outta bag. ?
So called fiance of Tiktoker Ayesha Akram is part of sar-e-aam team.
This was pre planned Story to gain cheap publicity in "iqbal park".@iqrarulhassan #ayeshaakram#lahoreincident @No1Mariya@alwaystalat @amalqa_ @YasirShami10https://t.co/sq6HHPzx6B pic.twitter.com/2eYaBWiVTW— سید غازی علی زیدی (@once_says) August 18, 2021
you must be a special breed of stupid it you think what happened to that girl on independence day was “staged to defame” pakistan
— ansar. (@_ansar_a) August 19, 2021