Stand-up comedian Shehzad takes stance on online racist slurs for flood victims 

Shehzad Ghias, a stand-up comedian, expressed his opinion against prejudiced opinions on Pakistani Twitter. Tone-deaf people have expressed their "worry" about the crime rate rising as flood victims who have lost their homes, jobs, and goods move to other cities like Karachi. 

He criticized the lack of compassion and questioned how many Karachi residents are actually natives of this region.

Ghias tweeted: “The idea that flood affectees will come to Karachi and commit crimes is one of the most racist, classist and bigoted takes I’ve ever seen on social media — and it is somehow being widely shared by people as the right thing to say. Heartless doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

People have lost everything. Entire towns and villages are under water. How does one look at that and think "ab ye log Karachi aahkar mera mobile chori karlai gai" - how is that your concern when you look at the devastation.

Mind numbing lack of empathy.

— Shehzad Ghias Shaikh (@Shehzad89) September 17, 2022

In addition he even raised awareness about how much the people hit by flood has suffered, “People have lost everything. Entire towns and villages are under water. How does one look at that and think ‘now these people will come to Karachi and steal my phone’ — how is that your concern when you look at the devastation? Mind-numbing lack of empathy.”

He spoke out against the reactions of people where one of them wrote that Karachi will be not able to manage all of the people. 

Having gone through the tweets the cold hard truth of the matter is that this issue is as much about ethnicity as it is about class.

Pashtuns are seen as illegal and unwelcome in Lahore/Karachi/Islamabad.

Sindhis/Saraikis are seen as the others and unwelcome in Karachi. https://t.co/KydLWBkuy2

— Shehzad Ghias Shaikh (@Shehzad89) September 17, 2022

There has to be another plan for Karachites, Ghias noted this discrimination that is happening on ethnicity, he responded, "This lot" wow wondering what a karachite is? How many of us are originally from this place? Where do we draw the line? Is it only Sept 2022 where we decide that everyone who is already here is a Karachite and now everyone else is an outsider or do we check everyone's origins?”

Moreover, he shared, “Having gone through the tweets the cold hard truth of the matter is that this issue is as much about ethnicity as it is about class. Pashtuns are seen as illegal and unwelcome in Lahore/Karachi/Islamabad. Sindhis/Saraikis are seen as the others and unwelcome in Karachi.”

"This lot" wow

Wondering what a karachite is? How many of us are originally from this place? Where do we draw the line? Is it only Sept 2022 where we decide that everyone who is already here is a Karachite and now everyone else is an outsider or do we check everyone's origins? https://t.co/KlcaI4WNQu

— Shehzad Ghias Shaikh (@Shehzad89) September 17, 2022