Following the decision of five Pakistani women to compete in a beauty pageant, the caretaker government and a well-known cleric spoke out against the participation of Pakistani citizens and declared their distancing from any such activity.
The interim minister for information and broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi, announced on Wednesday that the government had not selected anyone to represent the country in the “Miss Universe” beauty pageant.
The minister made the declaration in response to a senior journalist’s query on the social media platform ‘X’ about who in the government had approved the five contestants’ participation.
The state and government institutions are said to represent the government and the state of Pakistan, according to Solangi.
He further clarified that “our government has not nominated any non-state or non-governmental person or institution for any such activity, and no such person or institution may represent the state or government.”
Mufti Taqi Usmani, a well-known religious leader based in Karachi, also voiced criticism, asking how “low” the country would sink.
Usmani announced on Platform X that five young women would be representing Pakistan in the international beauty pageant. How far will we go if that is the case? Let this perception of Pakistan disappear.
Pakistan will be taking part in an international beauty pageant for the first time, but the criticism and rejection of a platform that empowers women have hurt the country’s standing.
