Sania Saeed on Gendered Violence, Societal Repression, and the Urgency of Collective Change
Veteran actor Sania Saeed, in a deeply emotional appearance on The Rafay Mahmood Podcast, addressed the persistent epidemic of violence against women in Pakistan, using the murder of 17-year-old influencer Sana Yousaf as a tragic focal point.
“Every day, I wake up with the news of women dying,” Saeed said, holding back tears. “There’s fatigue even in our compassion. How much more can we take?”
Saeed called out the societal instinct to rationalize brutality. She emphasized how victims like Sana, who did everything ‘right’ by social standards—refusing unwanted advances, sharing harmless content—are still punished. “Isn’t this what we teach our girls to do?” she asked. “And still, she was murdered.”
Speaking on the backlash against women’s rights movements, Saeed highlighted the irony: “This is exactly what Mera Jism, Meri Marzi and the Aurat March are about. But people rush to abuse and discredit them, just to defend their privilege.”
The conversation also delved into systemic emotional repression. Saeed argued that the roots of male violence lie in how men are raised to be emotionally stunted and volatile. “We teach our daughters to rely on men for protection—but how can we rely on them when they are this unstable?” she said.
Discussing the societal “hierarchy of abuse,” she linked systemic violence to broader issues: “Class abuses gender. Gender abuses the supposedly weaker gender. And it continues down the ladder—based on age, power, and perception.”
Saeed concluded with a powerful call to unity: “This is not a women’s issue alone. It’s a joint struggle. If we don’t fight together, nothing will change.”
Throughout the episode, the Kamli and Joyland actor also reflected on her career and the insights it has given her into justice, art, and the deeply personal toll of social indifference.
