New Delhi: Pakistani TV shows have now turned into fight clubs. Politicians are no longer just arguing over policies, they’re throwing punches at each other and engaging in full-fledged fistfights—all on live TV.
The trigger for the latest political fight was Imran Khan. Naeem Haider Panjutha, the spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Ikhtiar Wali Khan from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) turned what was supposed to be a discussion into a live-action wrestling match.
The debate, hosted by journalist Fiza Khan, began with heated words and sharp accusations. The two were arguing over Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz when Naeem Panjutha called her “illegitimate”, after Wali Khan abused Imran Khan.
It didn’t take long for the two men to trade insults.
Before the host could intervene, Wali Khan grabbed Panjutha by the shoulder and shoved him. What followed was a whirlwind of punches and kicks as the two men grappled in front of the bewildered audience and crew. The show’s host could only plead for them to stop.
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Pakistanis are embarrassed
“This is what Pakistan’s politicians are portraying to the world. @NaeemPanjuthaa from @PTIofficial and @ikhtiarwali from @pmln_org engaging in a fight during a TV talk show. Such acts are highly condemnable,” Zeeshan Syed wrote on X.
Others called the two politicians a “bunch of illiterates having no control over their emotions!”
Panjutha remained defiant and made his position clear. In a post-fight interview, he went on to explain that the physical altercation was in response to personal attacks directed at Imran Khan.
“I had gone to speak to him, but he ran away. I’ll make a video to prove who’s in the wrong. I will finish what he started,” Panjutha warned.
The two then shifted their fight to social media. In a post on X, Panjutha wrote: “If you abuse Khan, I will abuse your entire family..”
Wali responded by saying, “If you swear in the studio, you will leave your nose in the studio.”
Such brawls on TV are par for the course in Pakistan. A year ago, another televised altercation erupted between PML-N Senator Dr Afnan Ullah Khan and PTI MNA Sher Afzal Marwat, when both men physically attacked each other on a talk show.
Afnan Ullah Khan had launched a verbal attack on Imran Khan, calling him a “bootlicker” and accusing him of conspiring against Pakistan’s national interests. The accusations quickly devolved into personal attacks, prompting PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat to lash out physically. The two men tumbled to the floor, punches flying, while the host and crew scrambled to break up the chaos.
“Politics in Pakistan have taken an ugly turn. Those spending millions on the country’s image abroad must first fix things internally. The damage is profound, with long-lasting consequences. The person who initiated it is disgusting & should be ashamed,” journalist Ihtisham ul Haq wrote on X.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)