New Delhi: All hell broke loose in Pakistan after Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa was allegedly denied a donut in Islamabad. Social media users now want a ‘doughnut revolution’. Some are even advocating for a new addition to the outlet’s menu, “L wala donut”, in an apparent reference to the remarks made by the staff who refused to serve the dessert.
The footage, recorded by a bakery employee using a mobile phone, shows the Chief Justice of Pakistan purchasing pastries with his wife and daughter. The employee is seen asking the CJP, “Are you Faez Isa?” When he confirms his identity, the staff responds with a derogatory remark, saying, “Lanat ho aap pe (Damn you).”
The incident occurred at Islamabad’s Crusteez Donuts.
Some news portals say that the incident happened a month ago when the Mubarak Sani judgment—a case involving Ahmadiyyas, the persecuted minority community of Pakistan—was being heard. Others claim that the CJP allegedly stopped the minor from being arrested after the incident. Some are busy condemning Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) supporters celebrating the donut denial.
Also read: Pakistani cleric endorsed blasphemy killings. Then he said the Prophet didn’t write Quran
Donuts, drama, disinformation
“People should start selling donuts at every traffic signal, every bus stop, may become a silent protest “Donut revolution ” something akin to Georgia’s rose revolution”, one X user wrote while others edited the Crusteez Donuts menu card to include an “‘L’ wala Donut”.
An X post also showed a crowd gathered outside the Islamabad outlet of Crusteez Donuts. The caption read, “The people have spoken”.
An X user shared that a different group of people had gathered at the outlet to protest the act and show solidarity with the Chief Justice. Their placard showed “#804”, Imran Khan’s prisoner number.
The outrage following the incident led to Crusteez Donuts issuing an apology for the employee’s behaviour. However, the outlet seems to have read the situation wrong. Some Pakistanis want a salary hike for the employee, who is now allegedly in hiding.
“That ONE EMPLOYEE literally did what every single Pakistani should be doing – If anything you should treat him with utmost respect for his courage and promote him because he single-handedly caused your revenue and customer loyalty to jumb through the roof – Dont fire him under pressure,” one Instagram user commented.
Another said, “The whole #Pakistan (except patwaris and zameer farosh) stand behind Crusteez. That guy represented our collective emotions.”
However, Dawn reported that the video is “doctored and manipulated”, citing cuts in the video and the audio quality.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)