Karachi: (Tassasar News) The complexities surrounding freedom of expression and societal tolerance in conservative environments have been brought into sharp focus by the popular Pakistani TikTok personality, Sameha Hijab. In a candid and highly circulated video shared across her online platforms, Hijab unequivocally revealed that her decision to leave Pakistan was directly attributable to intense public criticism, narrow-minded attitudes, and pervasive judgmental behaviour emanating from society. She explained with emotional conviction how these unrelenting social pressures cumulatively rendered life in her home country increasingly challenging and unsustainable.
Hijab’s public revelation has ignited a crucial and timely conversation regarding the personal sacrifices and mental health burdens imposed upon social media creators, particularly women, whose public profiles inadvertently challenge established cultural and social norms. Her experience, now being shared from the relative sanctuary of the UAE, casts a spotlight on the often-toxic environment faced by individuals who attempt to navigate between personal autonomy and deeply ingrained societal expectations in Pakistan.
Navigating Scrutiny and Public Backlash
Sameha Hijab detailed how the public’s reaction to her choice of clothing and overall personal expression became a source of escalating and suffocating scrutiny. She strongly maintained that the intense and persistent nature of the criticism was not a fault of her own behaviour, but rather an unfortunate reflection of a narrow and inflexible societal mindset that fundamentally made her daily life extremely difficult.
Her commentary on the issue was both insightful and accusatory, articulating a sense of exasperation with the collective mindset:
“My clothes were becoming smaller day by day, not because of me, but because of the thinking of the Pakistani nation. This is not my mistake; it is the mistake of society.”
This quote suggests that the issue was not the literal change in her attire, but the shrinking space for personal liberty imposed by a society that relentlessly scrutinised her choices. The continuous public focus on trivial aspects of her personal presentation, rather than her content or professional work, is what ultimately forced her hand to seek residence elsewhere. This situation highlights a profound cultural conflict between modern, globalised forms of self-expression and the conservative demands of traditional society.
The Shared Burden of Social Stress
To contextualise her personal ordeal, Hijab drew direct comparisons between her situation and the reported experience of a fellow social media star, Raja Butt. Butt had also purportedly chosen to leave Pakistan due to encountering a similar host of overwhelming social pressures and critical judgment.
Sameha highlighted the shared difficulties faced by public figures in such environments, emphasising that both she and Raja Butt were forced to contend with significant mental and social stress. This environment of continuous negative feedback ultimately led both individuals to make the difficult choice to live geographically separated from their immediate families and their shared homeland. The collective experiences of these creators serve as a compelling indictment of the social intolerance that can drive talent and cultural contributors away from Pakistan. The psychological cost of managing a high-profile presence under such scrutiny is a significant, yet often overlooked, factor in the lives of public figures.
Life in the UAE and the Quest for Privacy
Currently, Sameha Hijab maintains her career from her base in Dubai, UAE. From there, she actively continues to share a stream of engaging videos and pictures on her Instagram profile, successfully connecting with her global audience. However, the move was not without its strategic adjustments: significantly, her TikTok account has been made private. This precautionary measure strongly suggests that she is still attempting to mitigate the effects of the persistent online harassment and relentless scrutiny that she initially faced in Pakistan.
While Sameha has yet to offer a definitive clarification on whether her relocation abroad is intended to be a permanent or merely a temporary arrangement, it is demonstrably clear that the suffocating level of public pressure and social judgment played the decisive and overriding role in her decision to depart. Her relocation to Dubai, a globally connected and relatively more diverse environment, provides a crucial geographical and cultural distance that allows her to exercise greater personal and professional autonomy.
Criticising the Social and Political Mindset
In a particularly forthright moment in her video, Sameha extended her criticism beyond the public sphere to include the governing structures themselves. She openly contended that both the authorities and the general populace share a strikingly similar, restrictive mindset.
“In her video, Sameha openly criticized not only the public but also the government, stating that both the authorities and the people share similar mindsets.”
She suggested that a pervasive societal indifference and a collective narrow-mindedness were the major contributing factors that ultimately denied her the ability to feel genuinely safe, respected, or fully accepted within her own country. This indictment implies that the issue is systemic, rooted in both institutional and cultural attitudes that stifle individual freedoms and celebrate conformity over personal expression.
Societal Debate on Social Media
Sameha Hijab’s public revelation has successfully ignited a widespread and necessary conversation across Pakistani social media platforms regarding the often-unbearable pressures faced by online influencers, particularly by young women who dare to deviate from or challenge long-held traditional norms. A substantial portion of the digital community empathised profoundly with her situation, offering validation for the considerable difficulties inherent in living under conditions of constant, pervasive public scrutiny. Conversely, her experience also sparked a healthy debate about the deeply entrenched societal issues that contribute to an environment which ultimately compels talented and expressive individuals to seek refuge outside their homeland.
Conclusion: The Call for Tolerance and Expression
Sameha Hijab’s difficult decision to relocate from Pakistan provides a stark and powerful illustration of the profound challenges faced by social media influencers and artists who operate within inherently conservative societal frameworks. Her experience, tragically mirroring that of several other creators, underscores the enormous struggle against relentless public judgment, widespread narrow-mindedness, and chronic online harassment. As she successfully continues to build and evolve her professional career from a base abroad, her story serves as a potent and urgent reminder of the fundamental importance of freedom of personal expression and the essential requirement for greater societal tolerance for diverse voices, perspectives, and lifestyles within a modern nation.
