Mehak Zubair is a radio host in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir. She's been in the field for over a decade — but being behind the mic comes at a cost.
"The kind of people that I usually face [online say] that I’m not looking as nice as I should be. It's mostly about my appearance, it's about how ideally I should look. There are times when I’m talking to some officials and there are people who don’t like those officials so they come and attack me," Zubair told DW. "I would be lying and I would be living in a fool's paradise if I thought it’s not about me being a woman in a public sphere."
Some in conservative Kashmir say that female radio hosts dress provocatively on social media.
"Generally, I have seen that female radio hosts sometimes wear outfits that are seductive in nature, which becomes a reason they are trolled or receive negative comments online," Aashiq Hussain, a Srinagar resident, said to DW.
But another citizen, Jibran Khan, has a different point of view.
"Many critics wrongly associate a woman's voice in the public sphere with immodesty. When the truth is Islam and Kashmiri culture both respect women’s dignity and contribution provided decorum and professionalism are maintained," he stressed.
Some women say "cultural respect" is merely control disguised as tradition. A gender expert told DW that deeply rooted patriarchy shapes daily life for women in Kashmir.
Despite the trolls, Zubair presses on. She is hopeful that times are changing as more women speak up. "I will also not deny the fact that things are getting better and I also believe that the more they see women out there speaking their mind, taking their own decisions and speaking for what is right, things will get better."