Sharmila Faruqi 'apalled' to see Ayeza Khan make false harassment claims in drama scene

• New drama serial starring Ayeza Khan criticised for the insensitive portrayal of harassment. 
• Pakistani dramas should take responsibility, writes PPP's Sharmila Faruqi. 
• 99% of Pakistani dramas are tone-deaf, says actor Adnan Malik. 

A new drama serial has been criticised for treating the issue of harassment insensitively. 

Aired on Wednesday, the drama serial Lapataa follows the story of Geeti, a TikTok star played by Ayeza Khan.

A scene from the drama went viral where Geeti, the protagonist, is seen blackmailing a shopkeeper with false harassment claims. The scene is being scrutinised by celebrities and the general public for trivialising the issue of harassment.

PPP politician Sharmila Faruqi took to Instagram and wrote that she is appalled to see a drama with such extreme insensitivity towards issues such as harassment. She called for Pakistani dramas to “take responsibility for such poor depiction of real-time issues being faced by women across the country.”

She added that with the current environment of crime against women, such dramas only make it worse. “Trust me, harassment is real, it’s hurtful and just destroys you,” wrote Sharmila Faruqi.

“Absolutely disgusting. Pushing this sick narrative is highly irresponsible and problematic,” wrote Singer Meesha Shafi on her Instagram stories.

Actor Adnan Malik also criticised the scene and added that 99% of Pakistani dramas are "tone-deaf."

Ayeza Khan hasn’t responded to the criticism but she wrote on her Instagram that her character, Geeti, "will get into trouble for her wrongdoings in the upcoming episodes."

Amidst the background of rising crime against women within Pakistan, the majority of social media users are citing the portrayal as insensitive and hurtful.

Drama creators have yet to respond to any of the criticisms.