The disturbing clip of a girl being tortured by her class fellows at an elite private school in the provincial capital has gone viral on social media, prompting strong from social media users, with celebrities becoming vocal against youth violence.
As the incident triggered furor among celebrities, Pakistani rock star Ali Zafar shared his ordeal as he faced bullying during his college days.
In a series of posts on social media handles, the Teefa in Trouble star called a culture of bullying a menace. “Having been bullied in college and later in life on a much larger scale, sometimes by my own friends, I know how it feels. Bullies should face consequences but I do feel we need to develop a deeper understanding of what makes a bully in order to address the issue and put an end to it.”
Recalling the days of bullying, the multi-talented artist took to Twitter and shared a series of posts to express his feelings.
He said “Just saw a video of a girl being bullied. I don’t want to share the video because no matter how bad the act was, I feel that those girls (the bullies) need a fair chance in life to learn and become better human beings; however, the issue of bullying needs to be addressed.”
The singer said his first remembrance of being bullied was in the National College of Arts, Lahore, on the day of the admission interview.
“I came from a middle-class background and I had brought big paintings I had made as portfolio…My hair was first bleached and then dyed burgundy for the shoot. My father suggested I wear something formal to the admission interview, so he gave me his double-breasted checked jacket,” he added.
He went on to say “A girl, who I don’t wish to name and was probably a year senior, sat next to me & started to make fun of my hair & jacket. It felt like she was enabled by her privileged background to ridicule me and destroy my self-esteem just before the interview. The words she used stuck.”
He also mentioned a group of female students encircled him, asking to sing.
The 42-year-old said “We became friends later on – but some of them continued to belittle and mock me with their condescending remarks throughout my years in college. One of them started to spread malicious rumours, including one about me and a dear friend of mine that we had an affair – this was particularly damaging, especially for the girl. I’m sure many who’ve gone through college & university can understand this dynamic & politics.”
The Dear Zindagi actor said he shared a very personal story for the first time to help raise awareness on this issue so we can put an end to the culture of bullying, which can have lasting trauma effects regardless of whether it is verbal or physical.
‘Disgusting’: Celebrities condemn torture on female student at Lahore’s elite school
Earlier, several celebrities including Ahsan Khan, Ahmad Butt, Merub Ali also called out toxic culture of school bullying.
