ISLAMABAD 26 July (Online): Netizens are disappointed with actor Hira Mani for “misusing her fame” and platform and making some irresponsible comments. The actor stirred controversy after she said she doesn’t want ‘Dua Zehra’ a Karachi girl who was reported as kidnapped in April but later found to have purportedly ‘eloped’ in Punjab, and her supposed husband Zaheer to part ways.
On Monday, the Ibn-e-Hawwa actor took to Instagram and wrote, “I want Dua Zehra and Zaheer to never separate. I am sure Allah will listen to my prayer.”
Her Instagram story was met with backlash on social media, after which she posted a followup statement: “I’m not politically right but emotionally correct. That’s why I am Hira Mani.”
Her remarks came a day after Dua Zehra was move to Karachi from Lahore and placed in a child protection centre in the city on the orders of the court. On April 16, Dua’s parents filed a first information report alleging that their daughter had been kidnapped.
After nearly 10 days, on April 26, the teenager was recovered from Okara. In a video statement that day, Dua had said that she wasn’t kidnapped and had married Zaheer of her “free will”.
Public interest in the case has been very high, ever since the first reports of abduction. A report submitted to the Sindh High Court determined that as per the opinion of doctors and the Civil Hospital’s department of radiology, Dua Zehra’s bone age was between 16 and 17 years of old, thus making this a case of child marriage.
The actor’s statement in support of Dua Zehra and Zaheer caused even more controversy, since the case is of child marriage and possible abduction.
Taking to Twitter, one user urged the actor to stop misusing her fame and suggested she read before giving opinions. She also said that there’s enough evidence for Mani to not romanticise the situation.
Some said that her social media needs to be taken away.
One user believed that Mani needs “proper help” and that it’s time someone educated her. “She needs to be told that not everything is a joke and Dua is just a kid who was apparently kidnapped,” they wrote.
One user said that Mani never “fails to disappoint” them.
One user thought nothing could be worse than Hira Mani’s singing but her opinions have turned out to be even worse.
Another thought she dropped something.
Influencer and Baarwam Khiladi actor Khaqan Shahnawaz took to his Instagram stories to slam Mani. “Dua Zehra case has progressed to a point where it was proven in a court of law using DNA evidence. This isn’t a joke. She’s a child that was kidnapped. Someone explain this to Hira Mani,” he wrote.
He said people like her “need to either go back to school or get psychological help because every time they open their mouths, it hurts human kind one way or the other!”
Shahnawaz also wrote that he is still in shock after her comment and he will not stay silent just because he is an up and coming actor and she’s a well established figure in the industry.
This isn’t the first time Hira Mani has been slammed for something she has said. The actor was heavily criticised for backing husbands who taunt their wives to lose weight. In an interview she had revealed that her husband often compares her to Bollywood actors like Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone to push her to lose weight.
If nothing else, we hope Hira Mani learns when to comment on something and what is best left alone. With 6.9 million followers on Instagram, she should know that her words hold weight and can influence people.
Commenting on such a sensitive case that is still being heard in court and involves people’s lives is both irresponsible and unnecessary.
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