Here’s Why The Flak PM Imran Khan Is Receiving For His Meetup With Digital Media Is Not Entirely Fair

PM Imran Khan met digital media publishers and content creators on Saturday to discuss national challenges, government’s measures to address various issues and the role of media, particularly the social media in the digital age.

Bolo Jawan was also part of this meetup where other prominent digital creators including Saad ur Rehman aka Ducky Bhai, Humna Raza, Muzamil Hasan and Pro Pakistani were also present.

Following a picture of the Prime Minister with digital content creators that went viral, he has been receiving flak from netizens, which we believe is not entirely fair.

Read: Tania Aidrus’ Vision For A Digital Pakistan Explained In 10 Simple Bullets

People are calling out all the digital creators present at the event for sharing space Ukhano who has been accused of sexual harassment.

Influencer and digital creator, Humna Raza, addressed the issue saying, “We’re in the same industry and I can’t control where he shows up and neither can I let him take opportunities, where I could be representing women.”

People were skeptical about the presence of fashion bloggers at the meetup questioning their relevance to the larger industry.

In her InstaStory, Humna Raza once again took lead to address people’s concerns. She brought to attention that fashion bloggers have a huge following and people love to see their content. By cutting them off, the government would be keeping a huge part of the society completely in dark who can be easily reached through these fashion bloggers.

View this post on Instagram

Your face and make up, your clothes, and your hair can never define your level of intellect. When women are put in the middle of serious conversations, it needs appreciation and applause. But unfortunately, you will notice that somehow it will make people uncomfortable. When women talk about clothes, it’s CoN$umERIsm, when men talk about expensive technology, it is intellect. “Why are these women only passionate about fashion? Can they ever talk about other things?” Said women talk about other things. ‘Umm pls stay out of these discussions, you don’t have the L3Vel of intellect.’ Sigh. Wah bhuiiiii 🤪.

A post shared by Humna Raza (@humnaraza) on Jan 19, 2020 at 3:22am PST

People were also bothered by the fact that this initiative by the PM might take a toll on their freedom of expression.

But Humna made it clear that the digital publishers are free to give any “positive or negative opinion.”

Some people also accused the government of snubbing famous vloggers Mooroo and Irfan Junejo who couldn’t make it to the event.

In a series of tweets, Irfan Junejo made the reason(s) of his absence clear for his followers.

True that whoever was finalizing the list of participants should have stayed clear of individuals who have been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment. At the same time, condemning the entire meet-up – which can open new avenues for digital publishers and content creators in the country – is grandly unfair.

There are problematic individuals in every walk of life and a few such people should not be used as a benchmark to define an entire industry.

What are your thoughts on the digital media meetup hosted by PM Imran Khan? Share your views in the comments below!