Since yesterday, the entire modelling fraternity was seen talking about an incident that took place at the Trade Development Authority Pakistan’s (TDAP) fashion show during this year’s Textile EXPO (TEXPO2023). A video started making rounds on social media which showed model Hasnain Lehri engaged in a heated argument with Nimra Jacob, in the presence of other models.
The video showed Nimra on the verge of tears, alleging Hasnain “put her hands” on her and demanded her safety while the other models rushed to get the model’s phone back from Hasnain, who kept calling the incident “unacceptable”.
Watch the video below.
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Soon after the incident escalated, Nimra took to her Instagram stories to share her stance. “You can’t mistreat me. You can’t threaten me. You can’t bully me. And you surely will not put your hands on me without consequences,” she wrote.
“We, in the fashion industry, have seen too much abuse, disrespect, and complete, utter negligence for our safety to tolerate it anymore. I have no space in my heart for forgiveness when it comes to abuse, harassment, bullying, assault, etc,” she added.
“Without any plausible cause, threats were made at me. I was verbally abused and physically assaulted. My property was taken and used to blackmail me. My female colleagues were harmed in the process of trying to protect me. This all happened at work, where I made sure to bring it to the attention of the management that I was being threatened by the perpetrator before he even became violent. The management should have taken action the first time I mentioned concern for my safety,” she added further.
Nimra also went on to thank all those who stood by her. “I’m lucky there were eyewitnesses to this man’s horrific actions. From his threats to his violence, some people witnessed it all. As traumatised as I am, I’m not standing alone. I refuse to let anyone abuse, threaten, intimidate, or belittle my colleagues or myself in any way. Today I stand to let you know that I will call out these abusers, harassers, and bullies for exactly who/what they are. Every single one of them,” she wrote.
She also called for accountability for the perpetrators. “If we want the industry to be a safe space, we need to take a stand and collectively check disrespect at the door. We need to demand accountability for those who are supposed to ensure our safety at work. And demand zero tolerance for the perpetrators involved in spewing such violence and aggression at the workplace. I’m done with this toxic, abusive culture. No more! Enough is enough,” she added.
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According to the Express Tribune, who reached out to Hasnain for an official statement, the model denied ever physically attacking Nimra. “I categorically deny all accusations of physical altercation and abuse. I come from a very respectful family, we aren’t the kind of people who would get into an issue as petty as this,” he shared.
He then went on to share his side of the story. “During the crossing at the ramp, Jacob hit my shoulder. We went backstage and she walked towards me, asking me to learn how to walk on the ramp. This resulted in an argument and she brought my deceased father into the conversation,” he said.
“I raised my issues with [the organisers], who told me she has had several issues with other models and is notorious for her unprofessionalism,” he added.
“When the show was done, I packed my bag, readying to leave; [photographer] Nubain approached me and asked me what the issue was. As Nubain and I were discussing, this is when [Jacob] returned and started the argument again. She then told me to f–k off, and I said it back. That’s when she took out her phone and started recording me,” he said.
Hasnain then reiterated how he only asked her to stop recording him without consent, and that too four times before he snatched her phone away, and that he never laid a hand on her.
“This isn’t acceptable and I took her phone. That is all I did. I took the phone from her hand and kept it with me because she was recording me without my consent. She just wanted to show her side of the story. I wish I had taken out my phone and started recording how she was misbehaving as well,” he said.
“With God as my witness, I can swear on the Holy Book that all I did was take her phone. I didn’t assault anyone, I didn’t physically abuse her. Her three friends teamed up against me. They will support her,” he added.
Ever since the incident, Nimra has been receiving tremendous support from the fashion fraternity. Models like Farwa Ali Kazmi, Zara Peerzada, Eman Suleman, etc all shared stories in support. Designers and stylists like Kamiar Rokni and Mehek Saeed also stood in solidarity and called for better practices in the fashion world.
