Twitter users across Pakistan condemned the derision of the manager of Cafe Cannoli in Islamabad after the female owners, Uzma and Dia, of the eatery made fun of their employee, Owais, as he struggled to speak English and spoke Urdu.
Owais said that they were making a fun video and things turned a bit sour when it came to speaking English.
“I am working with them for 10 years and now I am a Manager. We record such videos almost every day”
I faced difficulty in speaking English at that time but I tried and struggled a bit, he tried. Owais said that he has received several messages and people expressed solidarity with him.
He maintained that there was no dilemma if one could not speak English but he could progress with hard work.
A video of the entire conversation between the owners of Cafe Cannoli and the employee was shared by a Twitter user and it spread like fire on the internet as they considered it a contempt of all those who speak Urdu.
As a protest against the narrow-minded female owners of Cannoli restaurant, Twitter users started a trend #BoycottCannoli which occupied top position shortly.
TV artist Ushna Shah also came in support of the Urdu language and said that people who cannot speak their mother tongue while staying in Pakistan were ‘technically illiterate’.
She shared back to back tweets to express how beautiful Urdu is.
When I shifted to Pakistan & was learning to read Urdu for scripts, a wise lady pointed out: “If you live in Pakistan & can not read and write it’s national language, you are technically illiterate.”
I know many well-educated illiterates. In fact, I barely made the mark. #urdu— Ushna Shah (@ushnashah) January 21, 2021
Cafe Cannoli immediately came with a reaction as public outrage surged.
On point https://t.co/TJbNos53oO pic.twitter.com/5vb59k4UWl
— ⎊ Childish Ghambino 🍉 (@Sarkhail7Khan) January 21, 2021
The contemptuous incident elicits two outcomes.
The value of the poor employees in the eyes of the elite and obsession with the English language of which they believe raises their status.
Famous designer Maria B had sent her employee back to his village after he was tested positive for coronavirus.
Further, the founder of famous fashion and lifestyle brand Khadi, Shamoon Sultan, was also accused of unfair treatment with employees as they protested against prolonged shifts and that too on low wages.
This is a mindset prevalent among the elite of Pakistan to look down upon a person who cannot speak English properly or struggles with it.
There is a popular term as Urdu Medium Type (UMT) that is used for those who either intentionally or unintentionally or by compulsion or choice speak Urdu.
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And, the subsumption of similar thoughts has been prevalent on a large scale.
Liked or disliked, film actress Meera and Pakistan cricket team ex-captain Sarafaraz Ahmed have been mocked by a great number of people when they spoke English wrongly or stumbled as they did not have command over what is not their mother tongue.
However, the mockers totally overlook the parameters of judging both celebrities which shouldn’t certainly be the language they speak.