LAHORE- Frieha Altaf, who has had a long association with the Lux Style Awards as the director of its annual shows, came forth addressing the issue of multiple celebrities dropping out of Pakistan’s biggest award ceremony over the nomination of an alleged sexual harasser.
Last year, the fashion icon kick-started the campaign #MeinBhi, in solidarity with sexual harassment victims – Pakistan’s response to the worldwide #MeToo movement.
The initiative was launched at the 17th Lux Style Awards (LSA) with a song starring Ahsan Khan and Amna Ilyas. After prominently taking a stand against sexual harassment, this year’s LSA has drawn wrath for having a hypocritical stance by “nominating an alleged harasser.”
After model Eman Suleman became the first to withdraw her nomination, multiple artists followed suit. Amid all the tension leading up to the 18th edition of the extravaganza, Altaf has taken to Twitter to share her two cents on the matter.
https://twitter.com/FriehaAltaf/status/1121318080762798081
Frieha addressed the controversy, saying: “The #MeinBhi movement is not a one-off. The struggle to ensure a safer workplace will be a lifetime effort. My #LSA turf is the LSA show and the stage — not the nominations that are done by independent juries. No one has a say in what the jury decides.
“But I can state very clearly that if I do #LSA2019 it will reflect all the values I uphold. I had every intention of including the song #Mein in the show flow and was in discussion with @MeeshaShafi before she was EVEN nominated and then stepped out. Even today the entire show flow will reflect and uphold all #meinbhi values.
“In my opinion, if anybody should step down it’s the alleged sexual harasser, not those who are innocent and oppose him. The LSA platform and event is very close to my heart and I will continue to fight, on my turf, for women’s rights and empowerment.”
Recently, countable nominees have opted out of the LSA2019 this year, including models Eman Suleman and Rubab Ali, clothing brand Generation, makeup artist Saima Bargfrede, singer Meesha Shafi, folk-rock band The Sketches, filmmaker Jami and makeup artist Fatima Nasir.
Will, there be more people boycotting the award show? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Stay tuned for more updates!
