Lawyer and veteran television host Naeem Bukhari has sparked a massive debate on social media after an appearance on the podcast Lunch with Lilas, where he shared polarizing views about taking care of elderly parents with prolonged illnesses.
Bukhari detailed his personal experiences with the passing of his parents, stating that he did not cry when his mother died because she had been sick for too long. He recalled a specific instance from when she was in a coma and he was crying while saying, “For God’s sake, either get well, or pass away.”
When someone present in the room told him to have some shame because his mother could still hear him, he replied, “I am saying it from my heart.”
The television host further narrated an anecdote about visiting a doctor’s house, where he was introduced to the doctor’s bedridden father who had been groaning with his face turned to one side for two years.
Bukhari recounted his reaction, stating that he has two friends who are doctors, and if he were in that state, they would bring him a pethidine or morphine injection. He asked, “Is this the right way to live?” before adding, “A sick man, be it your father or your mother, is a burden.”
The remarks triggered a wave of public backlash and mixed reactions online, with many users condemning the statements as insensitive.
One commentator noted that “If a child is sick, parents never see them as a burden and give their all, and the same should go for parents.”
Another user expressed pity, stating “He needs help.” While a separate comment described the remarks as “disgusting” and asked media platforms to stop portraying such thoughts in a society that loves and respects parents.
Further criticism labeled the statements as “insensitive,” with one user calling Bukhari “a burden on this earth” and another stating that his mentality, rather than a sick parent, is the actual problem.
Others questioned whether the same logic would apply to a sick child, or noted that “People hold on to terminally ill loved ones out of deep love because they cannot bear the thought of losing them”.
One user called the thoughts a curse to society, emphasizing that parents are an irreplaceable shelter.
Conversely, some netizens defended Bukhari’s perspective or interpreted his words as a reflection on the pain of prolonged suffering.
One commentator argued that everybody has a right to their opinion, suggesting that “Emotional society prefers to watch parents in excruciating pain rather than wanting their pain to be eased out for good.”
