Watch: A Pakistani humorist had to apologise for a sketch which Sindhis have found racist
The veteran writer faced a lot of backlash and criticism for his racist and stereotypical portrayal of Sindhis on his online series ‘Anwarnama’.
Pakistani writer and humorist Anwar Maqsood probably wouldn’t have posted the latest episode on his online series Anwarnama had he known of the backlash and criticism he would get.
On April 22, Maqsood posted a sketch titled Aik Sindhi Ka Interview (below), which was intended to be a satire on Sindhis. Maqsood portrayed a supposedly “common” Sindhi man who enjoys a lavishly lazy and dishonest lifestyle by repeatedly faking his death to avoid paying off his debts. Understandably, the problematic sketch irked the Sindhi population, both in Pakistan and around the world, who deemed it racist.
Maqsood, however, offered an explanation for the skit in a video (above). Holding a copy of Shah Jo Risalo in his hand – a compilation of poetry by Sindhi Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai – he claimed he himself was Sindhi, and had lived in Sindh since 1948 and thus meant absolutely no harm. “It worried me that I hurt people’s sentiments,” he said. “I apologise to everyone that my humour hurt my Sindhi brothers’ – rather, my people’s sentiments.”