Earlier this year, Pakistan had made history by winning the country's first Oscar for a documentary (Saving Face) featuring victims of acid attacks. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy had picked up the coveted gold statuette in Hollywood in February by exposing atrocities endured by women whose faces were scarred for life by violent acid attacks. The survivors who were featured in the 40-minute documentary are however, against the airing of the film in Pakistan.

They never expected to film to do so well and an Oscar win never crossed their mind. If it's broadcast in Pakistan, the victims fear that they will be ostracised. The film centres around Zakia and Rukhsana who are determined to rebuild their lives after being attacked by their husbands.

The Acid Survivors Foundation Pakistan (ASF) had cooperated while the film was being made but now some survivors fear a backlash are taking legal action against the producers. Naila Farhat, 22, who features briefly in the film, was 13 when she was attacked for turning down a marriage proposal. She lost an eye and her attacker was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Currently, she's training to be a nurse.

Naila fears that once the documentary is broadcast, things will turn worse for her and her family. People in Pakistan are still conservative in such matters and a repeat of the incident is not unlikely. The family is scared and fear for their lives. ASF hired lawyer Naveed Muzaffar Khan to represent the victims and legal notices have been sent to Obaid-Chinoy. According to him, the survivors have not consented for the documentary to be publicly released in Pakistan. But Obaid-Shinoy insist that the women signed documents granting their approval that the film can be shown anywhere in the world and this includes Pakistan.