New Delhi: Is Pakistan the safest country for women? One woman definitely thinks so and has no qualms in declaring it on social media. The glitch? The Twitter account was fake and was using images of a Polish blogger.
The Twitter account, allegedly being used by a ‘white’ woman named Katherine George, created a furore on social media in Pakistan Wednesday, after it was found that it was fake and was using images of Polish travel blogger, Aleks Mroz, to applaud Pakistan’s treatment of women.
The fake account had been created in February and has almost 12,000 followers. It has been regularly promoting Pakistan as among “the best tourist destinations in the world”.
Mroz, a travel blogger from Poland, who is currently exploring Pakistan and organises trips for people under Travel Studio 92, said some people used her photos without her consent. She acknowledged her privilege in being a foreigner and said that she can never speak for Pakistani women.
In one of the series of Instagram stories that she shared, Mroz wrote, “As I white woman travelling to Pakistan I feel respected and generally safe but I will never speak for Pakistani women, ignore and undermine their voice”.
Social media backlash
Using Mroz’s image with a supposed Pakistani truck driver, the fake ID tweeted, “No one in the world respects women as much as Pakistani men”.
This created a huge backlash online, as people linked her treatment to her being a ‘white’ woman. They also blamed her for discrediting the experiences of those women who actually live in the country. Ammar Rashid, a researcher on development, public policy and gender in Pakistan, responded to the tweet by suggesting that the woman should try organising a women’s day march in the country to see the consequences for herself.
So true! ? You should try and organize a women's day march and see what happens! https://t.co/1WnSZ1HOyD
— Ammar Rashid (@AmmarRashidT) March 29, 2021
Another Twitter user, Hira Najam, alleged that the Pakistan government has resorted to promoting a foreigner’s claims to women’s safety in the country to deny the “constant fear of harassment, rape and murder” that Pakistani women have to live with.
Women: Govt should talk to us about how to make our lives easier so we don't live in constant fear of harassment, rape, murder, among others and live normal worthy lives.
Govt: Ain't nobody got time for that. Here's a foreigner to tell these women ALL their experiences are false. https://t.co/LbyWURVFSN
— Hira Najam (@hiranajam) March 29, 2021
Another user inserted the word ‘white’ before women in the fake tweet, to put the point in perspective.
Fixed it. https://t.co/xKX35ciwMb pic.twitter.com/IsrKnRbDY1
— اسریٰ (@freakonomist5) March 29, 2021
Uploading a screenshot of the tweet from the fake ID with the subsequent comments, Mroz wrote, “As a Polish woman spending a short time in Pakistan, I can personally talk about my own experience, but I can never speak for the Pakistani women and I will never do”.
Despite Mroz’s reporting the fake Twitter handle, the account hasn’t been suspended yet, and the tweets continued. “I only tweet positive news about Pakistan and also share positive news by various bloggers who visit Pakistan. What is my crime that all people are using stupid innuendos and going gaga over these positive tweets that are not targeting anyone?”
I only tweet positive news about Pakistan and also share positive news by various bloggers who visit Pakistan. What is my crime that all people are using stupid innuendos and going gaga over these positive tweets that are not targeting anyone?
— Katherine George (@iKatherineGeorg) March 29, 2021