"I Want To Walk, Cycle...": Pakistani Actor Ayesha Omar Says She Feels Unsafe In Her Country

Pakistani actor Ayesha Omar recently shared her thoughts on the challenges women face in the country, recounting her personal experiences with harassment from a young age. In a conversation on the Adnan Faisal Podcast, Ms Omar expressed her deep concerns about the absence of safe public spaces for women in Pakistan. She highlighted the issue of women feeling unsafe on the roads and streets. She stated that she no longer feels safe in her homeland and expressed her constant anxiety and insecurity prevailing in the country. 

"I don't feel safe here. I want to be able to walk on the road. It's a basic human need to be able to walk outside in the open air. All these women in your office, can you guys walk on the street? Isn't that sad? I don't want to sit in a car. I want to cycle. Why can't I ride a bike?" Ms Omar said on the podcast, as per The Express Tribune.

The actor also emphasised that men may never fully comprehend the constant fear and anxiety that women deal with daily. "Men can never understand what Pakistani women grow up with," she stated, adding, "As much as you try, you cannot. Because that fear that a woman has in this country - sure, he who has daughters may understand. Being in a woman's shoes and understanding that is impossible. You're anxious every second". 

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Ms Omar recounted her encounter with harassment as well. "My earliest encounter with harassment was when my neighbour's cook touched me inappropriately," she shared. The actor then emphasised that it is a "basic right" of all people to move around freely and without fear.  She lamented that even in posh areas, she feels unsafe, recalling that the only time she could walk outside was during the Covid lockdown. 

"When will the time come when I can roam freely in my country?" she asked. "Without the fear of being kidnapped, without the fear of being raped, without the fear of being mugged. It's a basic human need. Freedom and safety," she continued. 

Further, according to Dialogue Pakistan, the Pakistani actor pleaded for a transformation in societal attitudes. She called for the creation of an environment where people, especially women, can walk freely on the road. "There is crime in every country in the world. But people can, at least, walk on the road. You can't even go to the park without ten people following you or catcalling you. They say weird things, they try to touch you. What do you do? What do you do?" she said.

"We can go to the enclosed places but not everyone can afford access to these alternative spaces," she concluded.