PAKISTAN: Erica Robin, a 24-year-old Christian from Karachi, Pakistan, has been selected as Miss Universe Pakistan from among five contestants. The event, owned by the Dubai-based Yugen Group, was held in the Maldives.
It also owns the franchise rights for Miss Universe Bahrain and Miss Universe Egypt, which saw an overwhelming number of applicants. The finals will be held in El Salvador in November.
Following the announcement, she is under widespread criticism ahead of Pakistan’s Miss Universe debut.
Those who oppose her nomination argue that she is representing a nation that doesn’t want to be represented, given the rarity of beauty pageants in Pakistan, which has a Muslim majority.
The selection of Robin for Miss Universe Pakistan was dubbed a “shameful act” by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of the Jamaat-e-Islami party.
Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, the country’s caretaker prime minister, commanded the intelligence service to look into the Miss Universe Pakistan pageant organisers and how they managed to host the competition ostensibly in the country’s name without authorization.
The most well-known is Miss Pakistan World, a contest for women with Pakistani ancestry worldwide, which has many offshoots, including Miss Pakistan Universal, Mrs Pakistan Universal, and Miss Trans Pakistan.
Robin was asked to choose one thing she wanted to accomplish for her country during the second stage of the pageant’s selection process. She aimed to change the mindset that Pakistan is a backward country. Despite receiving negative reactions, Robin received congratulations from models, authors, and journalists.
Journalist Mariana Babar praised her “beauty and brains” on X. However, Pakistani model Vaneeza Ahmed, who inspired Robin to pursue modelling, questioned why men object to a woman’s accomplishment when they are okay with international competitions like “Mister Pakistan.”
From the 1950s to the late 1970s, a club on Elphinstone Street in downtown Karachi advertised cabaret and foreign belly dancers in Dawn newspaper. The club attracted various people, including young people, air hostesses, diplomats, and activists. Jazz and singing performances were also held at the Metropole Hotel.
However, in 1973, the Pakistani parliament declared Islam the official religion and the nation an Islamic Republic. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s administration was overthrown four years later by military leader General Zia ul-Haq.
As Islamic law was implemented and Pakistani society underwent significant change, what came next during the ensuing ten years has been referred to as a “draconian phase” by activists and attorneys. General Zia had even restored public flogging by the mid-1980s to demonstrate his dedication to Islamic rule.
Robin, a St. Patrick’s High School and Government College of Commerce and Economics graduate, is testing the boundaries of what is acceptable. She maintains her innocence and claims that by representing Pakistan on a global platform, she is not breaching any laws and is doing her best to dispel stereotypes.
Also Read: India’s Harnaaz Sandhu Wins Miss Universe 2021
