'Sorry, Masaba': Pakistani women slam Ramiz Raja for laughing at racist 'joke' on Vivian Richards

'Dear Ramiz Raja (sir) grace is a quality few have. My father, mother, and I have it in spades. You have none,' Masaba Gupta wrote in her now-viral post on X. (Image credit: Masaba Gupta/Instagram, Ramiz Raja/X)

After fashion designer and actor Masaba Gupta slammed former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja for laughing at a racist and sexist joke cracked on her parents former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards and actor Neena Gupta, several Pakistani women have voiced their support to the 34-year-old. They also criticised Ramiz Raja for having a "trash mindset".

“Dear Ramiz Raja (sir) grace is a quality few have. My father, mother, and I have it in spades. You have none. Sickening to see you laugh on national TV in Pakistan at something the world stopped laughing at about 30 years back. Step into the future. All 3 of us are here with our chin up. #ramizraja,” Masaba Gupta wrote in a now-viral post after a video of the ex-chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board was seen laughing at a racist joke targeting her parents.

Dear Ramiz Raja ( sir ) grace is a quality few have. My father,mother and I have it in spades. You have none. Sickening to see you laugh on national TV in Pakistan at something the world stopped laughing at about 30 years back.Step into the future. All 3 of us are here with our…

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— Masaba (@MasabaG) November 15, 2023

Masaba Gupta's reaction was shared by one of Pakistan's leading entertainment magazines where it drew a flood of response mostly from the women.

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"Pakistani cricketers don't just need more practice, coaching, and fitness but also mindset and communication classes!" wrote Instagram user Shanza Farooqui. "She slapped him so tight... Well deserved... If he belongs to Pakistan it does not mean we would support such a trash mindset. Having black skin does not make anyone any less. And why would you make fun of his skin color? Every tiny thing is a creature of Allah and equally beautiful," added user S Suma.

Others added that men like Ramiz Raja were living in the past with their sexist jokes and casual racism.

Wow, (MOST) Pakistani men are at least 30 years behind the programme. Silly comments one after the other. Casual racism, sexism and mediocrity is their forte!," said Instagram user Anoushey Ashraf. "Ugh! What disgrace. When will we unlearn racist, misogynistic and sexist commentary is NOT funny. Majority of Pakistani men need major schooling in etiquette and tolerance," wrote Tahira Hasnain.

Some even apologised to Masaba for the incident. "Sorry, Masaba. That's most Pakistani men for u, in a nutshell!" commented user Zainam Narain.

In the viral clip from the Pakistani show, a comedian is seen making fun of Vivian Richards’s skin colour. When the host asked the comic if she followed cricket or not, she answered, “I do watch cricket matches and my heart broke when Vivian Richards went into a relationship with Neena Gupta. I wrote a couplet then. ‘Jo ladkiyan khud ko kehti hain malika-e-aliya, Unko fir milta hai Mr Kaliya.'” The lines loosely translate to: “Girls who consider themselves the queen, eventually end up with a black man.”

Ramiz Raja, a guest on the show, was seen laughing at the supposed joke.