The Jamaat-e-Islami party’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmed referred to it as” shameful.” Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, the interim prime minister, yet mandated an investigation. Particularly among Muslim men, virtual conversation has been harsh.
But what is causing for anger?
A lady, 24 years old.
At the Miss Universe beauty show, Christian city of Karachi Erica Robin will reflect fervently traditional Pakistan.
At a contest held in the Maldives, Ms. Robin was selected as Miss Universe Pakistan out of five winners.
It was put on by the Dubai-based Group Yugen, which likewise holds the right to Miss Universe Egypt and Bahrain as franchisees. It stated that there had been an” overwhelming” number of applications for the Miss Universe Pakistan competition.
El Salvador will host the Miss Universe championships in November.
Retaliation and aid
” It’s a pleasure to represent Pakistan. However, I’m not sure where the criticism is coming from. Ms. Robin told the BBC,” I believe it is this thought that I would parade around in a costume among men.”
Her election is being criticized for representing a nation that doesn’t want to be represented, particularly given how uncommon beauty pageants are in Pakistan’s Muslim-majority country.
The most well-known show is definitely Miss Pakistan World, which is for women of Muslim descent from all over the globe. In 2020, it was relocated from Toronto to Lahore after its 2002 debut. Numerous spin-offs of the contest have also been produced, including Miss Pakistan, Mrs. Pakistan Universal, and Miss Trans Pakistan.
Pakistan has never submitted a member for Miss Universe in the game’s 72-year history.
Ms. Robin recalled that she was asked to name one thing she wanted to do for her state during the next collection round of the pageant that was held over Zoom. I retorted that I would like to alter the perception that Pakistan is a developing nation.
Given some of the negative reactions to her election, this might be challenging.
However, Ms. Robin received congratulations from versions, authors, and journalists likewise, with columnist Mariana Babar praising her” beauty and neurons” on X, formerly known as Twitter.
However, Vaneeza Ahmed, a model from Pakistan, who initially inspired Ms. Robin to pursue modeling, asked Voice of America in Urdu,” Why do these men have an issue with the success of women when they are fine with international competitions called” Mister Pakistan”?”
Islamic Republic to rock and roll
Rafay Mehmood, a writer and critic from Karachi, said to the BBC,” We are the state of many contradictions, and people and the marginalized trigger us the most.”
The harsh patriarchal values that Pakistan permits both structurally and politically are a reflection of its authoritarian nature. That is furthered by Erica Robin and the police she has experienced.
However, a Pakistan that was once much more democratic is documented.
Ads for ballroom and international belly dancers performing at a club close to the original Elphinstone Street in city Karachi can be found in copies of the Dawn news from the 1950s through the late 1970s. Politicians, weather hosts, activists, diplomats, and young people all frequented these bars.
Additionally a popular location for singing and dance performances was the legendary Metropole Hotel in Karachi.
However, Pakistan’s congress adopted a law in 1973 that proclaimed Islam to be the national religion and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Four years later, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government was overthrown by military president General Zia ul-Haq. What transpired in the ensuing ten years has been referred to as a” punitive stage” by activists and attorneys as Islamic law was upheld and Muslim world underwent significant change.
General Zia had actually revived public beating by the middle of the 1980s to demonstrate his adherence to Islamic rules.
The Metropole Hotel now appears to be in danger of collapsing because the restaurants and casinos are long gone. A muscular remnant of what was once a game stands abandoned just down the road.
But Ms. Robin is just one of those who pushes the limits of what is acceptable and unacceptable in a freer, more forgiving Pakistan. She has done nothing wrong, according to the St. Patrick’s High School and Government College of Commerce and Economics student.
By speaking on behalf of Pakistan on a world stage, I’m not breaking any laws. I’m doing my part to dispel any myths about it, she said.
