A video capturing a light-hearted exchange between Pakistani member of parliament and former minister Zartaj Gul and Speaker of National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq has gone viral.
In the video, Gal humorously insists that speakers maintain eye contact with him while he is addressing the rally.
Gul smiled and asked the speaker to put on her glasses and look her in the eyes. “My party leaders taught me to look straight into their eyes when I speak to them. If you avoid eye contact like this, I cannot continue speaking. So please put on your glasses,” Gul said.
“I am a leader. I got 150,000 votes. I cannot address you all if you do not listen to me,” she added.
Sadiq responded to Gul’s comments with a mix of humor and cultural sensitivity: “I listen, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to make eye contact with a woman,” he said, drawing laughter from both the ruling and opposition parties.
“If you exclude 52 percent of women like this, only a select few will participate,” Gül responded.
The speaker’s response and subsequent laughter was captured on a widely shared video that has been viewed millions of times across social media platforms, with many users praising the humorous yet moving nature of the exchange.
“Great humour. Great gesture,” commented one user, while another pointed out, “It’s a miracle he’s managed to stay calm and cheerful despite the economic struggles and political instability.”
Zartaj Gul is a prominent Pakistani politician who served as Minister of State for Climate Change from October 2021 to April 2022, following the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan following a motion of no-confidence.
She served as a member of Parliament from August 2018 to January 2023 and was up for re-election in 2024 from Dera Ghazi constituency.
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First uploaded: February 7, 2024, 4:15 AM