Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the youngest international minister on the SCO International Ministers Assembly in Goa this previous weekend, however as an alternative of specializing in that and all of the methods he may have represented Pakistan, individuals have been specializing in his weight. In fact they have been.
By some means, Pakistanis nonetheless haven’t gotten the memo in terms of legitimate criticism, particularly criticism of politicians. Criticise their coverage, their phrases, their actions however not their our bodies and appearances.
Would we have now appreciated to see Bilawal put on one thing a little bit extra thrilling than easy white shalwar kameez with the identical outdated coat? Sure, positively. However that’s moreover the purpose totally. We aren’t seeing sartorial enter on-line, we’re seeing plain outdated fats shaming, and that’s not okay. From crude remarks to dangerous puns, we’ve seen a bunch of criticism of the minister and it isn’t trying good for anybody, least of all Pakistan.
Bilawal has many shortcomings — as do all politicians — however that doesn’t imply we disgrace him for his look. Numbers on a scale don’t impede him from doing his job.
Writing this text within the Pictures workplace in Karachi, dwelling within the unlivable metropolis the place Bilawal’s PPP authorities has dominated for over a decade, we aren’t blind to his faults however this isn’t a chunk about politics — if it have been, we’d have an entire lot to say. It’s a chunk about decency.
The SCO assembly was necessary. It marked the primary time a Pakistani international minister had travelled to India in over a decade and will have resulted in necessary developments in our relationships with different nations and public coverage. Why then have been individuals specializing in Bilawal’s weight? Focus as an alternative on this hilarious interview wherein he trounced Indian journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.
We urge individuals — politicians, journalists and customary spectators alike — to take a web page out of Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s e book, not Shireen Mazari’s.
We noticed a wave of concern on Twitter lately over a problem that was deemed by social media customers to be “harmful to the image of Pakistan”. It’s attention-grabbing to notice little criticism of people who find themselves bashing our international minister who was on a historic go to to India not for what he has stated or carried out however for quite a few a weighing scale. Those self same feedback have been picked up by Indians and magnified, successfully arming them with ammunition towards us. Let’s take a little bit delight in, if not our authorities representatives, then ourselves as Pakistanis.
