Another woman harassed in an online cab ride- When does this stop?
It is already very difficult for women to commute to places in a country like Pakistan as public transport is not ‘safe’ or you can say too crowded to even get a seat to sit however, women are only left with private transportation which includes online cab services.
Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, known for its gardens, food and clothing, has faced the most traumatic incident previous night. A woman with kids was harassed by an online cab driver while she was travelling from the Mall of Lahore to her place.
The woman took a smart step and started recording the harasser’s video.
But this is not the first time, in 2017, a girl named Meriam Imam booked herself a ride home.
Firstly, the driver asked her how is she doing and she said I am good. The driver, Muhammad Waleed, then asked her if he could have her contact number. But the story didn’t end there. The driver, Muhammad Waleed, went on to complimenting her on her looks telling her that she is a pretty girl and if she has any friend of her age with whom he could hang out, “aapki jaisi young larki mil tou uski kia demand hogi?”
He continued to make her feel awkward by passing weird smiles looking at her through the rear mirror. The poor girl then had to change her destination and she took an early drop. The girl informed her colleagues about all the details of the car and driver, just in case any mishap could have happened.
In October 2018, a girl jumped out of a moving taxi in Karachi after being allegedly harassed by driver of a ride-hailing service. The incident took place at Kala Pul bridge near Gora Qabaristan area, where she luckily suffered no injuries despite landing on one of the busiest roads of the city. The girl claimed that the driver was constantly starring at her. The driver took a wrong turn when she questioned the driver and immediately jumped out of the car.
Although the world is changing, but it’s the mind and thinking that has to be changed. Women should feel safe while stepping outside from their house not scared of getting harassed.
