The CEO of Patari, Khalid Bajwa, who was already under investigation (according to the company’s statement) for harassment allegations has been asked to step down from his post. This development happened after a number of women took to Twitter to expose his behavioral misconduct over private conversations with them.
The Pakistani music startup’s CEO was forced to step down through an official statement that the company released following a slew of allegations on Twitter
These conversations reek not only of sexual harassment but also of abuse of the power that comes with the position that he was in
Okay I’ve had enough of this Khalid Bajwa bullshit. I always knew that I wasn’t the only one who he made so fucking uncomfortable and i have no fucking idea why I didn’t expose him but here I go
— zainab (@zainabqureshyy) April 11, 2018
Although it was a very long time ago. I was only 17 i went through a stupid breakup and this guy, mind you he was fucking 27 years old back then, took so much advantage of me back then. I was only 17 and didn’t know any fucking better
— zainab (@zainabqureshyy) April 11, 2018
Zainab, one of the accusers, also goes ahead to show her conversation with Bajwa, and mind you, she says she was just 17 at the time
Even back then I pretty vocal about how uncomfortable he made me feel. He used to make me feel like he was doing me a favour by talking to me. Also lmao he had the audacity to compare his “biceps” with umair Jaswal’s pic.twitter.com/qqe7dXXj37
— zainab (@zainabqureshyy) April 11, 2018
Zainab was joined by Mehr, who was one of the first voices to come forward. She also pointed out the discomfort Bajwa caused with his conversation and interaction
She went on to mention how he would practically harass her to give in to his demands
The predator targeted women younger than him, in an impressionable age mostly where they do not know better about how to conduct themselves in these situations. Just because a woman is giving consent to talking to you, no matter what age, does not mean that you abuse that position and coerce her into giving in to your demands, especially not because you have a certain position because of who you are at your job.
These tweets prompted a lot of people to express their disgust at the actions of the Patari CEO
Live Khalid Bajwa expose going on. Interesting to see how the woke feminists who are friends and or work for him react.
— Said (@ZoydPls) April 11, 2018
these Khalid Bajwa screenshots are making me nauseous just reading them, what a ghaleez perv.
— Ahmed (@azkhawaja1) April 11, 2018
Mjhe bhi dikhao woh Khalid Bajwa ke screenshots . . . Itni mehnat se mard bradari ka acha image bananay ki koshish karta hun phir aisa koi bajwa jaisa aadmi saray kiye karaye pe pani pher deta hai
— Main Abdul Majid Hoon (@ComicsByMajid) April 11, 2018
Blocking @/meykhana isnt enough, report his ass and call him out for his bullshit honestly you cant let these sly assholes get away with things like this
— amor fati(ma) (@coffeestainedd) April 10, 2018
Patari, the company, was quick to take action against their CEO in this regard and gave their official statement that he has been asked to step down
Official Statement: pic.twitter.com/BBcqqXdydf
— Patari (@patarimusic) April 11, 2018
However, a question that many seem to be asking in regard to this is whether he will be asked to leave the company altogether
This is what international #MeToo campaigns have been able to achieve. Harvey Weinstein’s career is over by now. Will we see the same intensity of reaction here in Pakistan as well to ensure that such predators can no longer exploit women?
That is a question left for the company to answer.
Find it hard to believe that people at Patari didn't know about the proclivities of their boss – or they did and they didn't or couldn't do anything about it
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) April 11, 2018
People have also started targeting the female employees of Patari, accusing them of facilitating their boss with his activities
The best scene is, the girls who work in Patari are now being harassed on social media. hahaha what is this ironic world?
— فریحہ (@Fay_Alif) April 11, 2018
Guys, please also remember to not "attack" personally any memeber of @patarimusic it's not their fault and it's super shitty that you drag the whole company down just because of a bad skanky fish
— Ushnaa? (@Lanaschild_) April 11, 2018
In these cases, people should refrain from accusing other individuals – especially females – for the behaviour of a man who is solely responsible for what he did.
The level of courage shown by these women is prompting other women to take action as well and show the power of social media, which urges people to take swift action in this regard.
This incident in particular highlights some important aspects
- The connectivity of the internet allows women to now join global movements and give them the courage to stand up for themselves
- This will set a precedent that gone are the days where exploitation could not be reported or taken action against.
- Internet allows swift action, which we have seen in Patari’s case and it is definitely something they must be commended for.
This will serve as a lesson for those who misuse their position and constantly harass women into giving in to their demands.
Super brave of the victims to speak up, and one hopes this move is only one part of justice being served. Also hope that the unforgivable actions of this douchebag don't cause irreparable damage to a start-up that has always maintained a progressive & inclusive public persona. https://t.co/0A3VYWsm9O
— Umair Javed (@umairjav) April 11, 2018
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