Pakistan has a very tenuous relationship with comedy. We, as a country, believe we are funny but our practice shows otherwise. On top of that, whenever we do make jokes they’re always at the expense of the weak or targeting someone’s insecurities, leading to even more tension than before.
Pashtuns are pissed at ARY and asking to boycott ARY because of an insensitive joke made by the long-running comedy ‘Bulbulay’
The channel has come under fire as its hit comedy show ‘Bulbulay‘ was called out for stereotyping Pashtuns in a negative light. Angry Pashtuns took to Twitter to express their outrage and Pakistanis all over the country criticized the channel for furthering bias against the Pashtun people.
People are saying that these tone-deaf jokes are uncalled for
In the incriminating episode, characters in ‘Bulbulay‘ joke about a Pashtun person, hinting that he could only be expected to come with a packet of naswar or a bomb. This angered many people as they took it as the drama worsening the negative bias against the Pashtun people in Pakistan and giving them wrong representation that can prove to be harmful.
https://twitter.com/Faisal__Kp1/status/1286233265557446656
Calls to Boycott ARY have become a top social media trend as Pakistanis criticized the channel for the insensitive jokes
People have taken to the internet to condemn ARY digital for stereotyping Pashtuns. Many people came forward with their own negative experiences associated with the channel. They demanded the channel to apologize for hurting sentiments of the Pashtun people. So far, the channel hasn’t responded to the controversy.
https://twitter.com/Wasim5533/status/1286238566830477313
This isn’t the first time ARY Digital has come under fire for its controversial shows
ARY Digital has a history of controversial incidences under its belt. Before Bulbulay‘s recent brush with controversy, the channel was criticized for portraying women in a bad light in its widely popular drama ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho‘. They have also been previously criticized for stereotyping other ethnic communities in their dramas.
People are demanding that ARY apologize for their continuous ignorance regarding sensitive matters.
https://twitter.com/Qubra_Ali/status/1235537669410689025
Racial profiling and stereotyping is dangerous and the hurt felt by the Pashtun community is legitimate
Bias against the Pashtun people is not something new. They are often thought of in a negative light and stereotypes about them being terrorists and criminals or buffoons are perpetuated freely around the country. Stereotyping a whole community promotes hate crimes against them. And no one knows this better than Muslims after the negative affects the entire Muslim community has faced over the West believing all Muslims to be evil.
We need to unite against these prejudices and stand up for any and all forms of discrimination so that Pakistan becomes a safe country for people belonging to various ethnic groups. Also, these jokes are so 2009, let’s evolve to something better, shall we?
The outrage of Pashtuns is understandable, considering ARY Digital, a channel that boasts being ‘the most watched entertainment channel Pakistan’ should be extra vigilant about these sensitive issues as to not give wrong messages to its wide audience.
