Images of a band, circulating on social media, have sent the twitter-verse of Pakistan in a frenzy. The pictures, which have become the talk of the town, is from a photo shoot where two young members of the band — a man and a woman — can be seen wearing clothing considered "obscene and offensive".
After Mystical Shayari, the band in question, posted its bold pictures on social handles taken near the Quaid-e-Azam monument in Islamabad, it created an outcry from various segments of Pakistan society. Some comments came for the place of the shoot while more were subjected to the choice of clothing used in the photo shoot. As many complained via Twitter, a case has also been registered against them.
"Who gave them the permission," asked one Twitter user, while someone objected to the choice of the place of the shoot.
Journalist Ansar Abbasi took to Twitter tagging officials concerned and asking for the band members' arrest for "spreading obscenity". The Office of Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad, then urged people to inform authorities about the duo.
On the basis of a complaint by a citizen, law enforcers lodged a case at the Coral Police Station against the band members. The complaint alleged that the band members took pictures in revealing clothes and themselves made the images viral on social media.
Meanwhile, after rampant moral policing and messages disapproving of the photos, Mystical Shayari quit Instagram and deleted its account. In their last social post, the band blamed an individual for initiating a hate campaign against them. The post slammed the social media account of the individual for “recklessly amplifying” the “Twitter hate-storm” against them.
“Since then, we have been subjected to a ceaseless barrage of hate messages, threats, and raging transphobic ridicule,” their last post read.