Whether He Married For The Third Time Or Sixth, You Have No Right To Judge Imran Khan

A couple of days back Pakistan’s PTI party chief and former cricketer Imran Khan got married to Bushra Maneka. People getting in married in Pakistan is not a big deal. Celebrities and popular people all over the world get married just like all of us, but what was shocking was people reaction to the marriage (which is apparently his third marriage).

I was scrolling through Twitter, and the kind of reaction people were giving was disgusting. This time what was different from the usual troll army was that it was carried out by people with normal profiles.

https://twitter.com/kaushalforu/status/965936504034902016

The internet is not the place I grew up with. In my time, it used to be a den for geeks with lofty ideas – today, it makes you cautious while making every post or tweet which is not quite possible all the time. Psychologists call this the ‘online disinhibition effect’, in which factors like anonymity, invisibility, a lack of authority and not communicating in real time boost people’s ability to say mean things online.

The way people reacted cannot be rubbed aside as a mere joke or humor, it’s much worse and almost disgusting. Reacting on social media is simple – when you hear or read something, you react, outrage or mock without giving a second thought. However, in this process, what you don’t realize, is the fact that you are probably ruining someone’s life. Don’t forget that a tweet can destroy someone’s life.

I have seen it happening to many – celebrities, journalists, popular people, social media celebrities, and many others. The way people react is by getting carried away by mob hysteria rather than asking the proper questions. How does it matter whether someone is getting married or divorced? Does it make it any different if that person is a celebrity or popular figure?

https://twitter.com/ChattsDeyD/status/965292261541072896

I feel outrageous while scrolling the tweets after the official announcement. You can see people making jokes, mocking his marriage, divorce, and persona. It’s not something we can ignore by calling it a joke. At least I won’t do it. It’s not anybody’s business whether Imran Khan gets married for the third, fourth or sixth time. It’s his personal choice to lead a life the way he wants. We are nobody to pass judgments because we don’t know what he has been through or what’s been happening closely.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s Imran Khan or Irfan Khan, what matters is you keep your debate dignified, posts with clear facts, critical criticism, and jokes within the limit. It’s not funny to mock anyone’s personal life. It’s not funny to make anyone’s life decision. You can’t unless you have traveled with them throughout the journey understanding deeply what they have been through.