Pakistani influencer Saniya Farrukh is the center of a heated debate on social media after describing Rawalpindi as a “small town” in an Instagram story about moving to Belgium four years ago, with some users calling the remark condescending while others have defended her.
Farrukh, who is originally from Islamabad and now lives in Belgium, shared an emotional reflection on her journey abroad, expressing gratitude for how her life had changed since leaving Pakistan to study.
“I always get emotional when I talk about these things, but four years ago when I was moving out from Pakistan from a small town called Pindi, moving all alone to Belgium to study. I never know this will be my life and Allhamdulilah, I’m so grateful for everything and I cannot believe it, thank you to everyone who sticked around,” she wrote.
Her description of Pindi as a small town prompted criticism from users who questioned the characterisation, with some pointing to the city’s size and her reported upbringing in an affluent neighbourhood.
One social media user wrote, “Look at this loser lmfaooo, calling Pindi a small town?” Another questioned the description, saying, “She is calling district ‘a small town Pindi’ wth.”
Others pointed to Farrukh’s social media posts about her home, with one person writing, “Isn’t her house HUGE? She posts so many pictures of her house, I always thought she was well off.” Another noted that she had lived in an army housing society.
Some comments criticised what they saw as a broader trend among privileged influencers who present Pakistan as a small or restrictive place when discussing their lives abroad.
One netizen wrote, “They sell Pakistan as if it were one small village, and these privileged gals are abla naaris [powerless women] and damsels in distress whose lives revolve around patriarchy, misogyny, restrictions and a lack of resources. Such gals are the real grifters.”
Another said, “It’s so funny when brown people go to a foreign country and suddenly they are bigger in hierarchy and their hometown, their family and the country is suddenly lower in class.”
Farrukh also faced criticism over the grammar in her post, with one user questioning how someone who had studied abroad could write “sticked” and “know” in that context.
However, others defended the influencer, arguing that the backlash was disproportionate. One post said, “Rawalpindi IS a small town compared to NYC/LA in terms of global influence, this isn’t an insult. Y’all just need a reason to hate.”
Another read, “I don’t get the Saniya Farrukh hate bro just let her f–king cook. People take what people post on social media too f-kn seriously.”
