A woman in Pakistan said that it is offensive to speak in Punjabi in a Muslim country and to women, and netizens are very confused.
Videos of the woman that seemed to have been filmed in Pakistan emerged online and soon went viral on Twitter.
In one 2-minute-long clip, the enraged woman is seen just after being stopped by a traffic police official who claimed she was using her phone while driving.
She accuses the traffic police personnel of being “disrespectful” and “misbehaving” with women by speaking to her in speaking in Punjabi, a language that is spoken by 48 per cent of Pakistanis, according to a 2015 BBC report.
The woman is heard speaking in English and Urdu in the video.
In another clip, the traffic cop explains that he had asked her to stop using her phone and roll her car’s window down.
The person recording the video, who claims to be a "crime reporter", tells the woman that the official was just asking her to do something.
The traffic controller responds and questions the woman whether it is a crime to talk to someone in Punjabi. Moreover, the woman answers saying: “Muslim country, how can you talk to a woman in Punjabi like this?"
Netizens confused…
After the video was posted, the word ‘Punjabi’ became a top trend on Twitter in Pakistan. Social media users shared the video, with many left confused by her claims.
One such user, @abdulqadeer03, asked: “She is mad at police for talking to her in Punjabi. Your views?”
Tweep, @bilalfqi, wrote: “Years of trying to become something we're not has produced this generation - confused, lacking knowledge, disrespectful and ashamed of their own roots. This woman found it offensive that a cop spoke to her in Punjabi...”
Twitter user @sideeque96 highlighted that a large number of people speak the language: “Punjabi in the language of 120 Million Muslims and these desi firangis [South Asian foreigners] have to live with this reality. We'll keep speaking Punjabi and you just can't do anything.”
Twitter user @mona_qau thought that all regional languages must be celebrated: “Maturity is, when you speak Urdu and all other regional languages without any inferiority complex. Punjabi, Potohari or any other.”
Whereas, @AdityaMenon22 made a comment on the woman’s own style of speaking: “Funny part is that the lady objecting to Punjabi, is unable to speak either Urdu or English properly.”
But there were also those who thought that the woman might have been mistreated in some ways.
Tweep @MemoonaRasheed2 wrote: “1. A cop on duty should speak in official language. 2. Video recording without consent and posting on social media without consent is not right.”
