Pakistani journalist, who stormed the internet for slapping boy on live TV, releases statement on Twitter

A Pakistani journalist Maira Hashmi recently went viral on the internet after a video of her slapping a boy surfaced across social media platforms.

The video showed the journalist slapping a boy while she was giving a piece to camera. According to media reports, Hashmi was reporting on the auspicious festival Eid-al-Adha. The incident led netizens to share mixed responses on social media platforms.

Earlier in the day, Hashmi took to Twitter to give a clarification about the whole incident. Explaining the scenario on her official Twitter account, the journalist said that the boy was harassing the family she was interviewing. She mentioned that she asked him to stop upsetting the family.

READ | Video of Pakistani woman journalist slapping boy goes viral

Her Twitter caption was written in Urdu, “This guy was harassing the family during the interview - which made the family upset. I first lovingly explained that don't do this, but despite the explanation, this guy didn't understand and was making a lot of noise - after which I made sure that his action wouldn’t be tolerated by giving him any opportunity”.

The viral video has led to a chain of reactions from netizens. Some claim that Hashmi’s reaction was wrong, others asserted that unprofessional.

Exactly! She's lying. She uploaded this video by herself for seeking attention. But she didn't upload that part where boy was teasing a family.

—(@ayesha_117) July 11, 2022

Maira, I think you did the RIGHT THING. If his parents had done their job right you would have been able to do your with his interference. Boys like him need experiences like.

— PV- (@VPogue_) July 12, 2022