Sexist remarks
Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq stumped a roomful of people at a press conference related to next year’s T20 World Cup with a highly inappropriate and unnecessary analogy about Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. Although Razzaq did apologise several hours later, we must note that his comments were inappropriate on many levels and were only made worse by the fact all his fellow panellists laughed as he made them. It was only several hours later that Shahid Afridi, who was on the panel, claimed on TV that he did not fully understand Razzaq’s comment at the time and called on Razzaq to apologise. Oddly, Afridi did not actually apologise himself, only offering an ‘explanation’ that his laughter was due to Razzaq’s tendency to make oddball comments, and that he only absorbed what was actually said when he got home. Former pacer Umar Gul did apologise later, while also claiming he did not understand the comment at the time.
But apart from an epidemic of people laughing at things they do not understand, Razzaq’s comments also expose the continuing disregard for women in our society, especially women outside of the conservative archetype. Casual sexism of the sort that was on display on Monday is something that Pakistani women, and even girls, have to deal with on a regular basis. While it is good that Razzaq apologised, it is worth noting that the apology was directed at Rai, not her daughter or husband, who the comment also hit at.
Razzaq, like many others, needs to learn to stick to the point rather than proselytising. This is not even the first time he has taken flack for making sexist comments, having previously insulted cricketer Nida Dar for her looks and demeanour. But, his remarks were made even more egregious by the fact that he was casting shade on Rai’s ‘character’ for a joke, when he has openly admitted to having numerous extramarital affairs. We would think that someone with his history would go out of their way to avoid such comments, if only to protect the “pious and virtuous” people close to him.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2023.
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