All work and no TikTok makes Pakistanis’ lives dull. These are the young and the old, the urban and the rural, the sassy new-age revolutionaries of Pakistani TikTok. In the times of curbs on mainstream media in Pakistan, a 15-second video on the social media platform is all it takes to dismantle any social, cultural and political argument.
Breaking the cultural hegemony of how men and women ought to behave, the Pakistani TikToker cares nothing about what the world says. Walking away from the global stereotype of a long-bearded man, he records his video, acting to the voice of a child asking for his favourite food.
In another video, he is seen acting to the voice of a little girl. The refreshing part is that this long-bearded man is just being plain silly and there is just so much comfort in how he takes to each voice-over.
In Pakistan, YouTube was banned between 2012 and 2016 because of the film Innocence of Muslims. Facebook was also banned for two weeks in 2010 because of alleged blasphemous content on pages like ‘Everybody Draw Mohammad Day’. In a land where the spectre of blasphemy charges is always a real and ever-present danger, TikTok has managed to stay safe so far – mostly because the Imran Khan government has its hands full, going after journalists and struggling to suspend some Twitter accounts.
Rural, lower middle-class Pakistanis largely dominate TikTok, but some urban ‘burger crowds’ also inhabit the platform with their tales of urban friendships, romantic troubles and caste jokes. Caste fights are seen when the rich and privileged can’t swallow that a user from an underprivileged background is getting more likes than him. TikTok is a great equaliser.
Also read: TikTok is giving birth to India’s new influencers — young men who cry, violently
Not without politics
TikTok is no Facebook, where you want to rub it in about how perfectly happy your life is. TikTok is all about the imperfections. But no creative expression in Pakistan can keep politics away.
The government might have a noose around most TV news channels, but it is exposed rather hilariously on TikTok by naysayers. The TikTokers talk of Imran Khan’s promises of making Naya Pakistan; sometimes they remind the prime minister of how he said he’s not going to beg only to make a U-turn later.
When the prices of petrol go up in Pakistan, TikTok is lit with a donkey cart getting fuel at the station. Taking a jibe at the current state of the government, one user shows Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes to Imran Khan but the PM finally laughs when he is shown Rs 5,000 notes.
The Germany-Japan border gaffe is shot with not-to-miss props, suggesting the possible frame of mind PM Imran Khan was in when he told the world how “Germany and Japan killed millions until after the WWII” when they decided to have joint industries along their “border regions”.
TikTokers are not happy with anyone. One user dances to a song on how the Pakistan Peoples Party killed him with its arrow, then came the lion of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), and now his skin is being ripped apart by Imran Khan’s Shaukat Khanum hospital.
Also read: Google, Apple stop TikTok downloads: Is HC order quashing small town India’s creative joy?
Bollywood is popular choice
The light-headed silliness is infectious. When Mehak dances at the Sargodha junction station, you know the setting and the character is real. Or, when the brothers from Karachi dance to Bollywood numbers in their videos, you feel like dancing too.
If Salman Khan has been known throughout his career for going topless, check these men on TikTok who tear out their t-shirts in literally every video. Why would they do that? How can they ruin so many t-shirts? No one cares for these questions as others are following their routine already.
If there is romance, then there is anti-romance as well. Like this nani gets annoyed when asked about romancing; she says, “what am I going to do with romance now, I’m old”. She is so endearing in her utter disdain.
But then if nani doesn’t want to romance, there are other oldies who want to have fun. This duet on Ek pardesi mera dil le gaya is just an insight into the diversity that at least Pakistan TikTok offers.
As entertaining as it is, there are rules too. Sajid Khan from Jhelum district of Punjab was booked for recording a TikTok video with an illegal weapon, a 30-bore pistol, in hand. He was booked for illegal possession of weapon by police.
Also read: Can we hold TikTok responsible for the spread of pornography in India?
No jannat for TikTok users?
There are always those who see the activity of TikTokers as un-Islamic. Protesters have charged that by being on TikTok, the youth were ruining their afterlife, in jannat obviously. And then there are those who want to get TikTok banned because too much fun can spoil a perfectly disciplined society. In January, a man from Nowshera district lodged a complaint with the authorities demanding that the government should ban TikTok as he saw it as a “social ill” for Pakistan.
Till it is banned, like in the past YouTube and Facebook were, Pakistan TikTok continues to democratise every discourse and continues to gather thousands of views with new set of influencers.
The author is a freelance journalist from Pakistan. Her Twitter handle is @nailainayat. Views are personal.
Tiktok must b limited and the benefits must b accounted for generalpublic not for individual..
Kashmir isn’t divided… India will soon take back the pok as it rightfully belongs to the sovereign state of India and not to the failed state of Pakistan! This is just the beginning…
12 o’clock and Muslim rulers
Never forget your past n we never forget our past..
We ruled over Indian subcontinent for 1000 years..
History repeats itself and very soon .b cautious
Thanks Nails for a brilliant analysis of the two nighbouring countries fighting
each other for Kashmir from the beginning of partition,none of either really want kashmiris freedom but possession. So it seems to be a fake cry for Pakistan for a piece of land which is already in one’s possession for more than 70 years ,engaging all the efforts
behind the military installation but little
for economical Development.As you point out It is the Kashmir policy of Pakistan that pulling it back into crisis
with India repeatedly and haulting all of its progress in every parameters ,as you
also code the remarks of Great leader of
Malaysia Mohammed Bin Mahathir that
Malaysia was never been in any struggle
with any neighbor.
Keep on writing.
This article is written by an Indian.
Kashmir banay ga pakistan is not choran. Iok people have no contact with us but they shouts loud pakistan zindabad which always hurts indians, which leads to fake reportings like this. Kashmiris love pakistan. Truth.
Good Naila Inayat, I appreciate your for your honety and clarity.
I hope that this could open Pakistanies people eyes …They should focus on their own problems yssssssssssss
Good article. The interesting part is that none of the so called leaders of Pakistan are willing to present a compelling argument on the basis of law for this. That is where they are making mistake again. So far the reaction has been knee jerk – Attack India, increase militancy, nuclear threat etc. Pakistan does not realize that this is playing into India’s hands as it strengthen’s India’s argument on how belligerent Pakistan is. Can Pakistan find any legal clause to counter besides this state is a muslim state?