Model arrested for 'obscene photoshoot' on Islamabad highway

ISLAMABAD – Police have arrested a male model involved in an obscene photoshoot in front of Quaid-e-Azam’s portrait in the federal capital, it emerged on Tuesday.

The Islamabad police conducted a raid in Lahore after receiving reports about the whereabouts of Zulfiqar Mannan who along with a female model had the controversial shoot that sparked anger on social media.

Zulfiqar is said to be a grad student at Yale with English major, primarily concentrating on anticolonial literature, public writing and subjectivity to explore the themes of power, gender, and revolution. 

Zulfiqar will be shifted to Islamabad from Lahore for further legal action against him as a case is registered against the duo at the Coral Police Station.

The female colleague of the suspect is yet to be arrested, reports said.

On August 4, a case was registered on the complaint of a citizen named Rashid Malik. The FIR stated that the duo had taken pictures in revealing dresses in front of the portrait of the country’s founder Quaid-e-Azam and made these photos viral on social media.

Earlier, senior journalist Ansar Abbasi took to Twitter to condemn the photoshoot. He tagged the Islamabad deputy commissioner and sought arrest of the couple for spreading obscenity. The Islamabad deputy commissioner asked people to inform the authorities about about the duo.

As the pictures went viral, #Islamabad became a trend on the microblogging site Twitter, and it divided the social media users who slammed the modelling couple for spreading obscenity and mocking the country’s founder. However, others termed it freedom of expression.

Due to furor on the internet, the couple deleted their Instagram citing vulgar and threatening messages. They said they posed for photos while exercising their right to express themselves.

Federal authorities in action after obscene photoshoot in front of Quaid's portrait goes viral