Actor Mirza Gohar Rasheed and politician Sharmila Faruqi have exchanged views on women's plight.
Gohar's narrative is 'oppression is a choice' while Sharmila shared her views in a bid to correct the actor's assertion.
The actor presents her viewpoint on Instagram by posting a viral video clip from his drama scene, Lapata, in which a man, Daniyal, slapped back by a woman, Falak.
"If any insecure man with his fragile ego tries his so-called muscles on you, make the choice that Falak did without any fear," he asserted, adding: "One tight slapback from a brave woman to such weak man in our society would be a giant leap for womenkind."
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Sharmila responded in the comment section with a note raising objection to Gohar's viewpoint, saying: "Oppression is not a choice. It's a hard reality."
She added: "Thousands of women are oppressed daily not because they chose to be oppressed but because they don't have the choice to hit back or leave.
"Marital rapes, domestic violence, acid victims, child marriages are rampant because the victims are helpless physically and financially. They suffer in silence and those who do muster the courage to fight back are either silenced, murdered or divorced with nowhere to go. The victim-blaming never ends, it's a vicious cycle."
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However, Gohar replied to Sharmila's statement question as to how the vicious cycle can't be broken.
"The main reason why women tolerate all this injustice is because of fear, the norms and taboos that have been created by our unsophisticated society. And now this fear is becoming a mindset for these women and the only thing that can change this mindset is an idea. An idea of not being oppressed, tolerant or fear any injustice or abuse by the spineless men of our society," the actor justified.
Sharmila Faruqi is a leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). She had also worked as an actor. She showed up in the play "Panchwa Mausam". Aijaz Aslam, Talat Hussain, Abdullah Kadwani and Gulab Chandio were among the cast.