A paragraph from a judgment by the Lahore High Court has gone viral as social media users term the flowery prose comparing a woman to a car misogynistic.
Justice Sohail Nasir wrote: “For a man, new car ownership is like a first girlfriend who introduced us to the feelings of butterflies in the tummy and goose-bumps across the skin. It is a relationship that can keep you up all night, building castles in the air. But when she is away and not found you miss her like the deserts miss the rain.”
It is unclear if the judge partially wrote the passage himself, although some have pointed to a partial excerpt from a January 2022 article in a Kenyan newspaper.
Regardless, its inclusion in a high court judgement has left many on social media stunned.
“Excerpt of another judgement by the same Honourable Judge who passed the judgement in Qandeel Baloch’s case in High Court acquitting her brother. No words!” wrote one lawyer.
Excerpt of another judgement by the same Honourable Judge who passed the judgement in Qandeel Baloch’s case in High Court acquitting her brother. No words! pic.twitter.com/UPfG4EAml7
— Nida Aly (@syedanidaaly) March 7, 2022
“This introduction to a judgment of the Lahore High Court about a Toyota Corolla that caught fire reads like a Taher Shah song” shared another lawyer.
This introduction to a judgment of the Lahore High Court about a Toyota Corolla that caught fire reads like a Taher Shah song. pic.twitter.com/Z9mZpX9MJ8
— Salaar Khan (@Brainmasalaar) March 8, 2022
“The cherry on top. Case filed in 2010, verdict on 2022,” noted another person.
The cherry on top. Case filed in 2010, verdict on 2022. https://t.co/1EOVSclYLB
— Usman Masood Sadiq (@UMSadiq_) March 9, 2022
“Men in love with their cars see this as poetry” opined another woman.
Men in love with their cars see this as poetry. https://t.co/OlilHolLSi
— habeeba. (@habeebaw_) March 8, 2022
In February of this year, Justice Sohail Nasir acquitted Qandeel Baloch’s brother of her murder, even though the man had confessed to murdering his sister, a feminist icon. In that judgement, he wrote “the tragic deaths of celebrities are always shocking to their fans.”
