Why are women still being pushed back from their right of public transport?

We’ve heard sleazy men behind anonymous accounts push back against this. We’ve seen boomers roll their eyes every time they see this happen. Now, recently, we’ve had to listen to the unsolicited opinion of Behroze Sabzwari on this issue. Can you guess what causes these men to go into frenzied anger? It’s the ability of a woman to choose independence by taking public transport.

It is amusing how this country won’t revolt in a political or economic crisis, however, our mard hazarat will unleash hell when a Pakistani woman is walking down the street without a dupatta or even riding a bike. The consistent way women have to fight away unsolicited opinions that drag her in to a box, unable to express her individuality and bound away from walking outside is a by-product of centuries of male entitlement and patriarchal oppression that consider women as inferior beings.

A few days ago, women had to witness a mansplaining Behroze Sabzwari expressing anger that women shouldn’t wear tight-fitted clothes while riding bikes. “The clothes are not only see through but usually are very tight, women should be fully covered,” said the television veteran who owes his career mostly to women’s writing. It’s shocking that not only does Mr Sabzwari encourage drivers to spend more time oogling women while driving, but also does not take into account how dupattas or abayas can get caught in wheels, potentially causing a dangerous accident.

Yeah and then the flaps of abayas get caught in the wheels causing accidents 🥰 just admit you want women to be killed and go, boomer. https://t.co/BHjqqVu2Yw

— Atiya (@bhumrobhumro) December 13, 2022

Founder of Soul Sisters Pakistan, Kanwal Ahmed, has now jumped in to take back the narrative from men and allow women to express their own choices whether that includes driving motorbikes wearing abayas or refusing to sit sideways. The film maker has posted on Twitter that she wishes for women to stop feeding in to misogynist policing that is making them neglect proper safety while riding bikes on roads, and shared how today she had seen a woman suffer because her dupatta had gotten entangled in the tire of her bike.

Why are most women in Pakistan made to sit sideways on bikes as passengers? Just saw a young woman fall off AND her shawl getting entangled in the tire on main Sh-Faisal.
This absurd expectation is a major safety hazard!
But of course, perceived honor>a woman’s safety.

— Kanwal Ahmed (@kanwalful) December 20, 2022

Women soon began to flood the comments with instances of how they had to counter sexism and shame when choosing to ride motorbikes .

This user shared how even in situations of life and death, a man’s honor is considered more important than a woman’s safety because of how little regard is given to the way women are sitting on motorbikes.

Women can't sit on bikes with their legs open because it is against honour. No one cares about their safety. Even traffic police cannot stop them n ask them to sit like that because their men would not allow it. In Pakistan a man's honour is more important than a woman's life. https://t.co/HdbV8V3DSE

— Pernia Khan (@PerniaKhan) December 21, 2022

the amount of awkward glances, weird groping attempts (?) and overall lack of men acting like animals i have experienced because i sit on a bike how you're supposed to is insane https://t.co/9v8Rc72F24

— a (@ayeshhanaz) December 20, 2022

This tweet reminded me of a painting I saw in a school in Chungi Amar Sidhu. The boy is sitting normally but the girl is supposed to sit sideways EVEN ON A PENCIL?
Says a lot about how shame is normalised more than safety. https://t.co/QvOMmrGCWa pic.twitter.com/HnaCsCXYun

— Mary (@gulabjamun24) December 20, 2022

We need to stop validating male honor and giving it preference to the point that women have to risk the chance of an accident rather than riding motorbikes safely. Women should not be forced into molding themselves according to what men think, and it’s about time the anonymous Bashir’s of the internet back off, let women reclaim the streets wearing whatever they want and ride any vehicle of their choice.