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Drama Case No. 9 ended yesterday with protagonist Sehar (Saba Qamar) emerging victorious in her legal battle against Kamran (Faysal Quraishi). The drama was a welcome breath of fresh air in how it brought a rape survivor’s legal battle to people’s living rooms and taught lessons on how they can fight for their own rights.

Qamar, who recently received a public apology from journalist Naeem Hanif for defamatory comments he made, posted on Instagram saying she had “won both cases Case No. 9 and Case No. 0 (baseless)”.

The actor started her message by making clear that she wasn’t trying to “criticise or accuse anyone,” but only to “share a thought that matters deeply to me”.

Society, she said, “must learn to be kinder and more responsible” and women should be “supported in their success” instead of being “questioned, disrespected, or brought down by false stories and unverified claims”.

“True progress lies in lifting each other up, not in diminishing one another,” the actor said.

Speaking about her experience with Hanif, Qamar said, “While apologies are important, I believe we must ask ourselves: should a woman’s dignity ever be compromised in the first place, without facts or verification?”

She asserted that “respect for women is non-negotiable,” adding that justice prevailed in her case because she “stood by the truth”.

The actor shared a monologue from the show in which Sehar said, “I want to say if you ever feel wronged in life, you mustn’t stay quiet, you must raise your voice. If we don’t raise our voices today, evil will spread and injustice will prevail.”

She continues, telling the audience, “Choose to fight for your rights and choose it early, because if you delay, a good decision taken too late can be weaker, you’ll have to fight much harder.” The camera then shifts to her parents whose faces are contorted with remorse over how they initially told Sehar to keep quiet after she was raped.

The video ends with Qamar’s character reminding people that their fight against injustice isn’t just for themselves, but also for future generations who will grow up demanding the rights they are owed instead of suffering through injustice in silence.

To hammer the point home, a second video in the post had Hanif’s YouTube apology where he admits to falsely claiming the actor had a live-in relationship, saying, “It was contrary to the truth, which hurt her sentiments and tarnished her character. We are sorry for this and the hurt it caused.”

Celebrities and fans appreciated the actor‘s message, with her Case No.9 co-star Aamina Sheikh saying Qamar makes women proud the way she holds her head up and faces noise. Sheikh said she was personally proud of Qamar’s journey and felt honoured to have witnessed it so closely.

Actor Navin Waqar said Qamar was stating “facts”, while Nadia Hussain called her a “warrior princess” and activist Mehrub Awan said she was a “queen”.

It wasn‘t just her celebrity friends cheering her on — the comment section of Qamar’s post was filled with well-wishers.