New Delhi: A mother-daughter spat on Twitter, in Pakistan shouldn’t exactly be political, but this was no ghar ki ladai. This was between a powerful, articulate Pakistani minister Shireen Mazari and her lawyer daughter Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir. And Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife was at the centre of it.
If the spat itself wasn’t enough, a video of Pakistan diplomats discussing it during the Moscow consultations on Afghanistan, with their mics on, certainly gave Pakistanis on Twitter their hot topic of the day.
"Aapko aik latifa dikhata hoon," Pakistani officials in Moscow discuss twitter spat between human rights minister Shireen Mazari and her daughter. While the mic isn't turned off. pic.twitter.com/CNOeuF9l86
— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) October 20, 2021
All this started Wednesday, when Imaan, in a sharp attack at the Imran Khan-led PTI government, tweeted asking “if the country is to be run by witchcraft and magic, then why a huge amount of taxpayers money is being wasted on a large cabinet”.
Imam’s tweet has been perceived by many as directed at PM Imran Khan’s third and current wife Bushra Bibi, a spiritual person, Pir, before her marriage.
Imaan further said that “the country is being ridiculed with sorcery and you don’t even want to talk about sorcerers. That will never happen”, read the English translation on Twitter.
This was enough for her mother, Shireen Mazar, to hit back. Mazar said she is “ashamed” that her daughter resorted to “such low personalised unsubstantiated attacks” despite being a lawyer.
“You should know without any proof hurling such accusations is defamation. When all substantive issue-based criticism fails this level of a base personal attack is plain shameful,” the minister said.
I am ashamed you would resort to such low personalised unsubstantiated attacks esp since as a lawyer u shd know without any proof hurling such accusations is defamation. When all substantive issue-based criticism fails this level of a base personal attack is plain shameful. https://t.co/drbLN5bq9w
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) October 20, 2021
This exchange gave Pakistanis on social media the catalyst to unleash their creativity and come up with hilarious memes.
One user, who goes by the name Hasan, wrote — “Please, yeh Ghar ki larai ghar may resolve karain. Shukriya!”
Some others asked if the mother-daughter duo have each other’s contact number.
A comedian by the name Saad Kaiser said that Shireen only replied to her daughter’s tweet for more coverage.
Haha thank you Shireen Mazari for making it more obvious! Am I the only one who thinks she replied to her daughter’s tweet intentionally for more coverage? ? https://t.co/pTaLIyDUcL
— Saad Kaiser (@TheSaadKaiser) October 20, 2021
But there were also those who came out in support of Imam. “Your daughter has said nothing wrong! We all know it even the staunch pti supporters talk abt it but don’t say it publicly!,” said Esha.
https://t.co/lqo19QzGZX pic.twitter.com/KIsXkI3xr5
— Maryam? (@nur_mx1) October 21, 2021
Pro mother & anti daughter. Daughter should be like this.@ImaanZHazir resilience. https://t.co/RTjkZimUOT
— Zahid Sherani (@ZahidkSherani) October 21, 2021
Shireen playing it out publicly to save her own skin. It's not like both mum and daughter aren't different sides of same coin. https://t.co/XmVb9PE98j
— Mateen Ul Waheed (@__mateen) October 20, 2021
Precisely. There are serious reports of voodoo and magic being utilized to decide national policy in #Pakistan. People have the right to expose and question these retrograde practices.
— Farjad فَرجاد ☘️?? (@farjad99) October 20, 2021
The Twitter duel also got reactions from Pakistani diplomats sitting in Moscow and the mic caught it well. A video of a Pakistan envoy discussing the spat with a colleague has gone viral.
“Shuru se inka style yehi hai, aggressive (This has been her style all along, aggressive),” Pakistani diplomat Mohammad Sadiq was purportedly heard saying in the clip.
Earlier this week, journalist Asma Shirazi was trending on Twitter in Pakistan, as she faced the heat of PTI supporters, after her column in BBC Urdu was published. She criticised the Imran Khan led PTI government for the country’s economic downfall.
“Whether the black goats are beheaded or the blood of pigeons is shed, the puppets are hung or the needles are pricked, the economy is not going to recover while the demands of the economy are demanding change,” she wrote metaphorically.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)