With the #MeToo movement coming under fire following absolution of Ali Zafar in Meesha Shafi’s sexual harassment case, renowned director and social activist Jamshaid Mehmood aka Jami posted a series of tweets on Sunday night describing his own harrowing personal ordeal with sexual assault, reinforcing the reality of the trauma a rape victim experiences.
Why im so strongly supporting #metoo ? cuz i know exactly how it happens now, inside a room then outside courts inside courts and how a survivor hides confides cuz i was brutally raped by a very powerful person in our media world. A Giant actually. and yes im taller than him but
— jami (@jamiazaad) October 20, 2019
“Why am I so strongly supporting #MeToo? Because I know exactly how it happens now, inside a room then outside courts and inside courts, and how a survivor hides, confides because I was brutally raped by a very powerful person in our media world. A giant actually. And yes I’m taller than him,” he said in one of the many tweets posted on Twitter, emphasizing that rape is about the mental power the assailant exerts over his or her victim, and not just about physical domination.
Hinting at the identity of the rapist, he disclosed “13 years have passed (and) I curse myself why I didn’t take his eyes out but I was so close to this guy as a friend, doing his mega shoots for his mega high end books and museum launches etc.”
Describing his physical and mental paralysis in face of the sexual assault, which is common across the vast spectrum of rape victims, he said “I froze, not sure why (but) yes it really happens and happened to me…my system shut down.”
The Moor director had to eventually seek therapy following complete lack of support or empathy he received from his close friends. “I told my few close friends but no one took it seriously. I told them so many times with the name of this tycoon,” he said in a follow-up tweet, adding in order to deal with the trauma he “spent 6 or so months at Agha Khan (University Hospital) with a therapist and (had to take) the usual pills (like) Xanax.”
“Till this day, I don’t have the courage to come out and name him. It is super tough. I know my own buddies will laugh and joke (at me).”
He further added that he is “writing this now because #MeToo is under attack and I’m ready to partially vomit out my own experience. It’s all true what the victims say and how they say, or hide. It’s all an exact same pattern.”
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