Islamabad: Pakistani womenswear brand, Generation, had mocked Hinduism by putting up a morphed image of a Hindu deity in their office. In its post, Hindu Samata said, “This famous Pakistani brand put up a disrespectful poster mocking a Hindu deity in their office. Pakistan has blasphemy laws that only apply to non-Muslims. Hindus can be imprisoned under false charges for saying anything about Islam/Muslims. This page is using their large following to encourage marginalisation of minorities.”
Generation had morphed the image of the Hindu deity and replaced the ‘astras’ with laptop and other items. The desecration of the Hindu Goddess by a brand, founded by a Pakistani husband-wife duo named Saad and Nosheen Rahman, did not go unnoticed. Hindu rights activist points out the dual standards of the Pakistani justice system. Hindu rights activist Kapil Dev took notice of the matter and tweeted, “Just learned from a friend that @GENERATION_PK posted morphed image of a Hindu goddess on its Instagram handle, later issued an apology. “
Clothing brand tenders apology
Following the outrage on social media, Generation tendered an apology. In a statement, the brand said, “A few days ago a grave oversight occurred at the Generation HQ. An ignorant and insensitive image became public that was hurtful to our patrons, especially for those that represent the white in our flag (referring to minorities).”
It further added, “We are so so sorry! We pledge to strive to be better, to make better and more informed choices. We also pledge to conduct regular sensitivity workshops at the HQ to learn more about the people we share our country with. We hope you can forgive us, and that we can grow to be more sensitive and mindful as a community.”
Kapil Dev took to Twitter to respond to the apology note. He said, “This apology is insufficient. We have spoken to the lawyers and considering legal action against the brand. You cannot get away with a mere apology.”
