Even before she competes in Karachi, Pakistani entrant Erika Robin is receiving harsh criticism for her participation in the Miss Universe beauty pageant. This is due to the fact that during the inaugural competition conducted in the Maldives, five finalists—among them Miss Universe Pakistan—were chosen. Erika Robin of Karachi is currently preparing for the Miss Universe final, which will take place in El Salvador in November of this year. Pakistan has never before picked a representative in the Miss Universe beauty pageant’s 72-year history, so this will be a historic event.
Erika said, “I want to change the mindset that Pakistan is a backward country,” when asked what she wanted to accomplish for her country. While journalists, authors, models, and reporters thanked Erika on Twitter, Jamaat-e-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad called it “shameful,” and executive prime minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar commissioned an inquiry into the nation’s secret information.
The Miss Universe Pakistan pageant’s organizers will be closely examined by the agency, as well as how they managed to hold the tournament in the nation’s name without receiving government consent. Erika’s representation of a nation that doesn’t want representation sparked a contentious internet debate, with Kakar branding the Maldives contest a “shameful act” and a “insult and exploitation of Pakistani women.”
The announcement that five young women will represent Pakistan in an international beauty contest was tweeted by Pakistani Islamic scholar Taki Usmani. How far will we go if that were the case? Let this idea (ISI) vanish. Ansar Abbasi, a journalist and right-wing pundit from Pakistan, asked in a tweet: “Who authorized five Pakistani girls to represent Pakistan in the Miss Universe competition? Prime Minister Kakar, is this a ministerial recommendation or a cabinet decision? Can anyone represent Pakistan without getting permission from the authorities? (ISI).
“The federal minister for communication and broadcasting at the time, Murtaza Solangi, who was himself a journalist, retorted, “The representation of the state and the government is done by state and government institutions. No non-state, non-governmental individual or organization has been nominated by our government for any such activity, and no one or anything is allowed to represent the state or government without permission. Story over (ISI).”
Erika informed the BBC, stating, “I have a deep admiration for the opportunity to showcase Pakistan on a global stage. Beauty pageants remain a rarity within Pakistan’s conventional culture, and I struggle to grasp the origins of the negative reactions.”I think the goal is to do away with any obsolete conventions. She had previously said, “I won’t do anything that harms the country’s honor,” in an interview with Voice of America. I’m making an effort to get rid of all conservatism. She declared in the same interview, “I won’t do anything that harms the country’s honor.”
Erika Robin, a graduate of Government College of Commerce and Economics and St. Patrick High School, started her modeling career in January 2020. Since then, her images have appeared in numerous publications, including Diva Pakistan. She clearly maintained that she has done nothing wrong and continued, “I’m not breaking any laws by promoting Pakistan on the global stage. I want to put a stop to any conservatism surrounding it. She said in a Voice of America interview, “I won’t do anything that harms the country’s honor.”