Five Pakistani women are making history by participating in the international beauty pageant ‘Miss Universe’ 2023 for the very first time.

The finalists of the prestigious beauty contest have been announced which sparked a controversy from the top cleric Mufti Taqi Usmani and the Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi.

Both have spoken against the inclusion of Pakistani nationals and announced to distance themselves from any such activity.

On Wednesday, Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi announced that the government did not nominate any individual to represent the country at a beauty contest “Miss Universe.”

A senior journalist Ansar Abbasi questioned on his social platform ‘X’, asking who in the government had given permission to the five contestants to participate.

Upon his question, the Minister clarified that they had not nominated any such person.

https://twitter.com/murtazasolangi/status/1701926582040875281

The debate also started when a prominent Karachi-based religious cleric took to ‘X’ and stated, “There is news that five young ladies will represent Pakistan in the international beauty pageant. If this is true, how far will we go? Let this impression [of Pakistan] vanish.”

https://twitter.com/muftitaqiusmani/status/1701912560071561289

The top five Miss Universe finalists include 24-year-old Erica Robin from Karachi, 24-year-old Hira Inam from Lahore, 28-year-old Jessica Wilson, 19-year-old Maleeka Alvi and 26-year-old Sabrina Waseem from Punjab.

 

 

 

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 All five models have been selected from a pool of more than 200 applicants from around the world.

The contestants have also participated in an exquisite photoshoot in the picturesque Maldives, adorned in creations by the renowned Filipino designer ‘Fern One’.