Islamabad's phobia of Pindi boys

[Xn Jin]

 

[Kabira]

SLAMABAD:
Following a criticism bombardment online, the management of Centaurus mall has apparently taken its decision back of imposing Rs100 entry fee.

The management is now saying that the Rs100 requirement will only be implemented from 8pm onwards and insists that amount is adjustable with any purchases made during visits to the mall.

Earlier this week, Centaurus announced that all visitors to the mall would now have to purchase entry passes worth Rs100 each, before entering in the mall, but with the exemption of women, children, senior citizens, diplomats, journalists, lawyers, doctors and government officers.

The move ignited online debate and sparked outrage amongst social media users, who criticised the decision for being discriminatory.

Most people said they believed that every person should be allowed to enter the mall without an entry ticket and there should be no favouritism.

PTI leader Shireen Mazari tweeted: “Sick how Centaurus is charging ordinary ppl an entry fee & exempting rich & privileged! Nowhere in the world does this happen! Apartheid!”
Centaurus Mall eases Rs100 entry fee after online criticism | Pakistan Today

 

[VCheng]

The management is now saying that the Rs100 requirement will only be implemented from 8pm onwards and insists that amount is adjustable with any purchases made during visits to the mall.

So it is okay to be discriminatory after 8 pm but not okay before that time?

 

[Djinn]

You win dude :-D

Off course i won, because i stood for equity.
Mall relaxes Rs100 entry fee stipulation after online criticism - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

 

[saadee]

Wa

look like a wannabee American to me

What will happen when Mall of Islamabad and Elysium will get build Man this place will be full off PIndi Boys

wanna be American? I guess I already mentioned that I am from Lahore so which part u didn't get?

 

[Edevelop]

 

[ghoul]

I've been living in pindi ---- fit the past 5-6 months .. (On/off).. And still haven't visited islamabads hotspots apart from restaurants etc... Cesspit of poooondi ? The fork..

Ironically, the major hot spot of Islamabad is literally called "hotspot".

And oh man, this class discrimination is also quite rampant in Islamabad city itself. The rich elite from F sectors look down upon the poorer classes from G-7, G-6 etc. Then there are the native kids from Islamabad(actual Potohari speaking "Islamabadis") studying in all the low standard government colleges. Different classes of Islamabad have a completely different sub-culture.

With that being said, Pindi boys literally make the worst of the worst in Pakistan.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Ironically, the major hot spot of Islamabad is literally called "hotspot".

And oh man, this class discrimination is also quite rampant in Islamabad city itself. The rich elite from F sectors look down upon the poorer classes from G-7, G-6 etc. Then there are the native kids from Islamabad(actual Potohari speaking "Islamabadis") studying in all the low standard government colleges. Different classes of Islamabad have a completely different sub-culture.

With that being said, Pindi boys literally make the worst of the worst in Pakistan.

Islamabad sucks !

Those wanna-beeeeees are pretty gay.

And the Pindi boys category is annoying and pathetic.


Y can't ppl act normal !

 

[VCheng]

Discrimination can take many forms:



Male, single and unable to shop at Karachi's malls - Blogs - DAWN.COM

Male, single and unable to shop at Karachi's malls
MUHAMMAD OMER HAYAT — PUBLISHED 25 minutes ago

Being young, single and male appears to make for an unspeakable horror in Pakistan.


The whole Centauras mall entry fee saga and the ensuing debate on the internet was a pleasant surprise for me. If memory serves me right, the mall in question made a similar move over a year ago, except that no corollary was issued last time.

Although I don't live in Pindi or Islamabad and am not likely to be visiting soon either, I was happy to find that as a 'journalist', I was on the list of the chosen ones who had the privilege of entering the mall without paying a hundred rupees. Nevertheless, in spite of that, I have my doubts on whether I will be allowed to go in if I am accompanied by a couple of male friends.

Which brings me to my point, about another mall in my own city. Despite being a 26-year-old journalist living in Pakistan’s largest city, I cannot enter Dolmen Mall/Hyperstar in Karachi, alone on the weekend – I have to have a 'female' accompanying me, which would put me in the kosher 'family category' – because on weekends, entry is permitted to 'families' only.

So if I want to go shopping on a Sunday with a male friend or even alone, I will be denied entry because I would fall under the 'rowdy boys' category. I often wonder if there’s a cut-off age in our society, after which boys are not seen as 'rowdy'.

Also see: Islamabad's phobia of Pindi boys

This is not where it ends. When I first came to Karachi early last year, I remember trying to go to an antique cars show at The Forum with my male friend. We were denied entry. I can recount dozens of other instances, where I have been denied entry to a public venue just for being a young male adult and therefore being categorised as 'rowdy'.

And even that is not where it ends. I have been living and working in Karachi for a year-and-a-half now. When I moved here, finding suitable accommodation was naturally at the top of my to-do list. During my hunt for shelter, I discovered it was almost impossible for a 'rowdy boy' like myself to rent a place in several areas of the city.

Why?

Because I was young, single, male and by default, all of these attributes combined, make for some sort of an unspeakable horror.

“Sir maalik makaan keh rahe hain bachelor ko nahi dena.”

I’ve heard this reply from countless estate agents in areas such as PECHS, Sindhi Muslim, Quaidabad, Delhi Colony, Clifton, Boat Basin and the list goes on.

This discrimination is so prevalent now that most think it’s natural. Whenever you discuss it socially, there is bound to be laughter, even among the 'rowdy boys' who are its victims; everyone has their own wild idea of what the banned 'rowdy boys' could have done to justify the preemptive safety measure of being denied residence/entry.

For me, it is not about preemption. I see it as outright classification based on demography, which is principally as wrong and disgusting as discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity.

There can be a million explanations that can be ostensible justifications for these preemptive actions – The Centaurus administration, for instance, cites the mall as the only big mall in the twin cities, and claims the measure was necessary to ensure capacity was not exceeded, especially with Eid around the corner.

Know more: Mall relaxes Rs100 entry fee stipulation after online criticism

But whichever way you look at it, it is always the 'rowdy boys' demographic that bears the brunt. That is plain discrimination.

Selective entry to public places such as restaurants, shops and bars in the past, is today seen with judgment and as part of systemic racial/ethnic discrimination, whether it be the case of 19th century United States or pre-partition India.

We all know about the signs outside entrances, which read, “Coloured folk and dogs not allowed”. In 2015 and in a so-called 'male-dominated' society, an invisible placard still stands tall outside several public venues in Pakistan, even those located in somewhat progressive urban centers; I don’t know if they mention dogs, but I’m confident they do have 'rowdy boys' written on them, somewhere.

 

[WAJsal]

Islamabad sucks !

Hy! Islamabad is the best. Miss the day's back when i used to live in Islamabad. Good atmosphere, security is good too. Best city, undoubtedly.

 

[Psychic]

Islamabad sucks !

Less halla gulla and rush, that's why some people say that it's a boor city, but that does not mean that it sucks. Peace, cleaness and beauty is something in which Islamabad is better than other Pakistani cities.

 

[WAJsal]

Less halla gulla and rush, that's why some people say that it's a boor city, but that does not mean that it sucks. Peace, cleaness and beauty is something in which Islamabad is better than other Pakistani cities.

People are quite calm minded too. You do not want to get in trouble with people here in Karachi. Oh, how i miss the greenery.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

People are quite calm minded too. You do not want to get in trouble with people here in Karachi. Oh, how i miss the greenery.

Just yesterday I kicked a guys arse in Islamabad .. First he got abusive.. Told him to calm down .. Than he pushed me... Than he got owned like a b... and ran like usain bolt got into his car and drove off.

Less halla gulla and rush, that's why some people say that it's a boor city, but that does not mean that it sucks. Peace, cleaness and beauty is something in which Islamabad is better than other Pakistani cities.

Not for long... Travel on the kashmir expressway .. Littering etx!

 

[Psychic]

Just yesterday I kicked a guys arse in Islamabad .. First he got abusive.. Told him to calm down .. Than he pushed me... Than he got owned like a b... and ran like usain bolt got into his car and drove off.

Not for long... Travel on the kashmir expressway .. Littering etx!

Kashmir highway?

 

[WAJsal]

Just yesterday I kicked a guys arse in Islamabad .. First he got abusive.. Told him to calm down .. Than he pushed me... Than he got owned like a b... and ran like usain bolt got into his car and drove off.

In general. Compare them with people in any other city. LOL.