Pakistani Politicians Need to Come Up with Better Insults
by Mueez Hasan
Pakistani politicians have long since struggled with insults. The problem stems largely from the fact that politicians, who have inherited political dynasties as a result of their family lineage, are more or less uneducated. And so, they lack the creativity and intellect to formulate a reasonable insult when addressing political opponents. Oftentimes they have had to resort to sexist, misogynistic and even transphobic rhetoric in order to undermine those against them.
Take the case of Abid Sher Ali. Ali was a member of the parliament and a very senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz when he referred to fellow parliamentarian Shireen Mazari as a “tractor trolly.” He then joked about how Mazari told him not to touch her, to which he replied: “there’s no part of you that’s worth touching.” One could infer that Ali was saying that he was very specific in deciding whom he harassed. Not only was Ali’s humor distasteful and inappropriate but spoke volumes of his misogyny.
However, not many would expect Imran Khan, the current prime minister of Pakistan and an Oxford graduate, to indulge in that sort of misogynistic rhetoric. Sadly though, that is exactly what he did when referring to Bilawal Bhutto, the leader of an opposition party, at a gathering in South Waziristan. Khan addressed Bilawal as “madam” in a very pathetic attempt to insult him. In doing so, Khan only exposed himself as a misogynist and sexist individual, a man who thinks that calling a fellow male politician a woman is demeaning, implying that women are somehow inferior to men.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was the country’s first and only female prime minister to date, often received insults that attacked her gender and sexuality. Nawaz Shareef, who was thrice-elected prime minister, infamously called Benazir Bhutto a “yellow taxi” in the parliament — “yellow taxi” being Pakistani slang for prostitute. Nawaz Shareef also allegedly distributed and circulated fake nude photographs of Benazir in an attempt to reinforce the idea that she was a prostitute and therefore not worthy of office.
Speculation aside, there have been innumerable cases of male Pakistani politicians resorting to outright sexism, and speaking badly of the other gender, and doing so shamelessly. Politicians like Sheikh Rasheed, who is very popular amongst both the youth and the elderly, is known for his transphobic and frankly disgusting comments regarding Bilawal Bhutto. While talking about Bilawal Bhutto, who he jokes about for being too feminine, Rasheed said that Bilawal had a manufacturing defect, a fundamental problem. Rasheed also clarified that Bilawal’s flaw was that he looked like Pervez (a man) from afar, but in reality he was actually Parveen (a woman).
Gender-specific insults above are also popular amongst female politicians. On a live talk show, Firdous Ashiq Awan, a former minister, remarked that unlike the other women present at the table, she did not start her political career from a brothel.
These exchanges between Pakistani politicians, aside from being of their heinous mindset, are damaging to the reputation of the entire country. The sexist, insensitive remarks that they spew degrades their own worth more than anything else. What is worse, however, is the public reception to their speeches and insults. Sheikh Rasheed, for example, has been made a social media icon and his videos have amassed millions of views on streaming websites. At the end of the day, the reason why these public representatives partake is such discourse is because the majority of their supporters would approve of this. The huge backlash that Imran Khan received from the public and journalists alike for his sexist comments was a welcome change in the attitude of the people against those who propound hatred under the guise of political debate. Hopefully, such backlash gradually becomes the norm as these insults become a rarity .
