Dawn Images

The creators of the popular show Mazaaq Raat recently faced backlash following offensive comments made on one of the episodes by a guest and backed up by one of the comedians about Pakistanis who live abroad. Vasay Chaudhry — the host of the show — expressed regret on behalf of his entire team in a tweet, acknowledging the inappropriate remarks.

The incident has sparked a larger discussion on social media, leading Chaudhry to address the issue and post that a formal apology will be aired during tonight’s episode.

The controversy arose when model Sara Neelum made derogatory remarks about overseas Pakistanis, suggesting that they dress well in their home country but perform menial tasks, such as toilet cleaning, abroad. To compound the offence, one of the show’s comedians attempted to follow up with a joke, insinuating that the well-dressed individuals carry Rs5,000 notes in their pockets as a display of ostentation.

A clip of the episode quickly spread on Twitter, generating a wave of anger and disappointment among users who condemned the derogatory comments. One Twitter user, while sharing the video, highlighted the invaluable contributions of overseas Pakistanis to the country’s economy and society.

Acknowledging the seriousness of the matter, Chaudhry turned to Twitter to offer a personal apology to all Pakistanis living abroad. “I want to publicly apologise on behalf of my whole team at Mazaaq Raat. A very stupid, vile, and ridiculous comment was made recently about overseas Pakistanis by one of the guests in our show which was followed up by an attempted joke by one of the comedians (again in bad taste),” he wrote.

“A formal apology will be aired in tonight’s episode. However, I wanted to personally apologise to all the Pakistanis living abroad. We love you, even though you might not feel the same at this point, but ‘ghalatiaan apnoo say he hoti hain’ [mistakes are made by one’s own people].”