Picture of the Day: Haqooq-e-MardaaN

Posted on February 2, 2007
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Photo of the Day, Society, Women
29 Comments
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Adil Najam

I recieved a couple of emails with this picture today, and then saw it poste by Vaqas on Metroblog Lahore (see earlier picture here). A great picture by Awais Lodhi. We at ATP have a long-standing fascination with rickshaws (here, here, here, here an here). But, this, of course, is about political commentary, not just about rickshaws.

My best attempt at a translation of the ‘writing on the rickshaw’ is:

Addressed to Honorable General Musharraf Sahib. Accept my congratulations on the passage of the women’s rights bill. Now, please, also give us a bill on Men’s rights. We will be greatful. It is very difficult to drink these days.

Must confess, I am not fully sure how the last line fits. Please suggest a better translation if you will. Or offer commentary on this commentary.

29 responses to “Picture of the Day: Haqooq-e-MardaaN”

  1. Akif Nizam says:

    For most part, the messages on the backs of rickshaws are attempts at humor rather than sarcasm or spite. For that reason, I would give the benefit of the doubt to the artist. I think it’s just a “man” asking for his right to be able to drink.

  2. Irfanullah says:

    I have never heard of peena pilana as bribery. In Pakistan it clearly means alcohol. And this is clearly a cynical comment against the women’s rights bill.

  3. […] Now for my comments, I agree with Bilal Zuberi that message is sarcastic but I want to add that it has a sense of resignation that the process of enlightenment would not stop and one can only now make some sarcastic remarks about it instead being able to stop it in someway.   […]

  4. OSMAN says:

    I agree, this is nt funny at all. This is a taunting message. It is against the women’s rights bill and is trying to say that now we may as well make ‘peena pilana’ (alcohol drinking) open too.

  5. Asma says:

    So finally ATP got affected of this Rickshaw too, in past two three days every blog that I open is talking about “Haqooq e Mardaa’n” … I wonder how many they need??

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