Dawn Images

ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi is being hailed as a hero by Pakistan’s celebrities after she saved a woman from a charged mob in Lahore’s Ichra Bazaar after someone accused her of committing ‘blasphemy’ by wearing a dress bearing Arabic calligraphy.

Naqvi’s bravery is on full display in several videos that have surfaced on social media. In one clip, the police officer can be seen rescuing the woman from the bazaar while a mob hurls abuses in the background. Another sees her addressing the mob, urging them to trust the police while convincing them that no blasphemous act had been committed.

“During my service, I have handled three such incidents, and you should have trust in us [police],” she can be heard telling the mob in the clip.

Shopkeepers defended the woman and sheltered her until the police arrived. As per a Dawn report, most of the charged people in the mob were either customers, visitors or passersby and the garment traders who rescued the girl were aware of the print also being available in the market.

A video also shows the girl hiding in a shop shaking with fear of being attacked by the mob on a blasphemy charge, an allegation that has resulted in many public lynchings in the past.

ASP Shehrbano — the real hero

Celebrities are commending Naqvi for showcasing immense courage. Sharing a picture of her on Instagram, actor Sajal Aly wrote, “We need more women in power,” and we couldn’t agree more.

Actor Ayesha Omar remarked, “What a hero she is. Bravo Shehrbano.”

Mira Sethi wrote, “ASP Shehrbano rescuing a woman who happened to wear a print with Arabic words — and a crowd gathered accusing the woman of blasphemy. No words. We’ve been here before.”

Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy also shared the news of ASP Naqvi saving the day.

Director Sarmad Khoosat made a virtual salute to the officer to show his respect while actor Yashma Gill shared previous acts of heroism — involving animals — by the ASP to highlight the fact that her latest display of courage wasn’t an isolated incident.

The Punjab police has nominated Naqvi for the Quaid-e-Azam police medal. Punjab IG Dr Usman Anwar’s statement on the Punjab Police’s official X (formerly Twitter) account reads, “ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, the brave SDPO of [Gulberg] Lahore, put her life in danger to rescue a woman from a violent crowd. For this heroic deed, the Punjab Police has recommended her name for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal (QPM), the highest gallantry award for law enforcement in Pakistan.”

Brand responds

The woman in the video was wearing clothes similar to the ones sold by Kuwait-based brand Semplicita. The brand shared a statement on Instagram to shut down speculations about its collection being linked to the Ichra case. The response seems to have been prompted by Pakistanis spamming the brand’s posts with comments about its choice to print Arabic calligraphy on its clothes.

In a statement posted on its Instgaram story, the brand said, “Dear Pakistani people, we have nothing to do with the recent incident that happened to the innocent girl. We are based in Kuwait and we do NOT ship worldwide. Please stop following and messaging since it’s really disturbing. We use Arabic words and letters in different fonts everywhere since it’s our language!”

For the record, the words printed on the dress include ‘حياة’ meaning ‘Life’ and ‘حلوة’ meaning ‘Beautiful’, as clarified by the brand in response to a query made by an Instagram user.