Pakistani TV actress Iqra Aziz, who is famous not just for her acting talent but also as a good mother, has joined a chorus of voices criticizing a recent viral clip that showed a father slapping his little kid in public. The incident occurred in Lahore’s DHA Raya and has caused widespread anger on social media.

The clip, which had been recorded accidentally when two YouTubers were recording themselves in the vicinity, features a visibly distressed child having a slap across his face by his father, apparently due to a tantrum. The clip spread virally very fast, eliciting strong reactions from not only the masses but also from celebrities.

Iqra Aziz, who habitually shares her motherhood experience with her fans, reposted the video on her Instagram story with a moving message. She recognized that desi parents are conditioned to react sternly towards the disobedience of their child. Nevertheless, she emphasized ending this generation of physical punishment.

“No matter how loud or mischievous a child is, a slap is never the solution,” she wrote. “We must unlearn what we’ve seen and teach through compassion, not fear.”

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Her comments resonated with many netizens who were as perturbed by the clip. One netizen wrote, “Islam forbids hitting the face. The kid should have been rectified with dignity and respect at home.” Another wrote, “This is the reason why violence becomes normalized in our society. It has to stop.”

One of the most thought-evoking statements was, “These are the same parents who later complain that their children don’t care for them in old age.”

The episode has once again brought to the fore parenting techniques in South Asian societies and the imperative of emotional intelligence and non-violent child-rearing. With public icons such as Iqra Aziz still preaching gentler parenting, many believe it will prompt a cultural revolution towards more respectful and caring approaches to child-rearing.

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