Television host Fiza Ali’s remarks about veteran journalist Suhail Warraich, analyst Irshad Bhatti, and other guests have ruffled feathers online.

 

During her appearance on an Eid Ul Azha special episode of Kamran Shahid’s show 'On The Front,'  Fiza was asked to share her thoughts on the guests who were present with her on the show and to guess what professions they might have pursued if they weren’t in their current fields.

 

Commenting on analyst Mujeeb Ur Rehman Shami, she said that he would have been a “chef” if he had not been in journalism because he adds spices to his conversation.

 

About Irshad Bhatti, she said that he would have been a “tailor” given that Bhatti always wears a tight suit. 

 

Apologising to Warraich over what she was about to say, Fiza said that if Warraich had not been a journalist, he would have been “a sweeper at a restaurant in a foreign country,” since he has gone into the washroom of every woman he has interviewed.

 

Fiza’s remarks, particularly about Warraich, did not sit well with viewers. One social media user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Suhail Warraich is an institution in himself; just because you’re a woman doesn't mean you can say whatever you want.”

 

“Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to insult. It is deeply shocking and unacceptable. How dare someone like Fiza Ali make such demeaning and disgraceful remarks about a senior journalist like Sohail Warraich on a national television channel," another netizen asked.

 

 

Calling Warraich “a great man” one person said, “You are such a great man Suhail Warraich Sahb.... Fiza Ali made an inappropriate and disgraceful remark, which reflected the filth of her own mind.”

 

 

A day after the clip of the ex-actress’s statement about Warraich went viral, the latter responded with dignity. He took to X, writing, “My status is even below that of toilet cleaners. I am street dirt, as Mian Muhammad Baksh called himself ‘galian da rora kora’.  Cleaning toilets in my view is not [an] insult as cleaning the filth left by others is a noble service.”

 

 

Journalist Umar Cheema commended Warraich's response to Fiza's remarks. 

 

On Monday, Cheema wrote on X, “Sohail Sahib, this woman [Fiza Ali] made fun of her own mentality. You responded according to your capacity, which is commendable.”

 

Cheema opined, “Such incidents often happen in Kamran Shahid's program. Don't you think that the person in question cares more about ratings than your respect? If he wanted, he could have edited it.”

 

 

Another social media user called out Kamran Shahid for not protesting Fiza's  statement. “Kamran Shahid should be ashamed… this lady disrespected a senior journalist and instead of giving him a shut-up call, he is laughing.”