Toxic Masculinity Took Another Woman’s Life And No, Thoughts And Prayers Don’t Help Anymore

Recently, a bus hostess was shot dead in Faisalabad after she turned down a man.

Mehwish Arshad, a bus hostess, was shot dead at Faisalabad’s Kohistan Terminal. She was murdered for refusing to marry a security guard – a classic case of toxic masculinity running its course. After her father’s death, she was the only financial support of her family. It is important to point out that bus hostesses are harassed on a daily basis. The man who shot her was also an employee.

In the CCTV video, the man can be seen talking to her as he forcibly grabs her hand and she visibly looks disturbed and tries to pull her hand away. She succeeds in pulling her hand away and there is a two-second pause before he shoots her, and runs away. There is no one around to witness the incident, save a person or two in the background, but would that really have stopped the man?

In the harrowing footage, the woman can be seen sliding down the steps in pure agony, with no one to help her as she took her last breath.

For most Pakistani men, women can exist either as homemakers or as sexual toys, with zero agency of their own. This leads to the development of the thought process where they are the “alpha males” whom no one dares to turn down. It is important to point out that socio-economic aspects do not really matter when it comes to mindset.

And let me stop you before you say “not all men.” That’s truly besides the point.
Feminism is made fun of in Pakistan, by men and women alike. Yet, we’re the ones who need it the most.

However, it is imperative to point out that these cases are why we need feminism in Pakistan. The emancipation of women as individuals with their own agency over their thoughts, bodies, lives, and decisions is of the utmost importance.
All these women who suffer, or lose their lives due to the inability of men to understand the word ‘no’, rarely get justice.

Link