Ali Sethi's rumoured wedding with Salman Toor triggers orthodox Pakistan in brand-new Pasoori
Ali Sethi is one of the few Pakistani celebs to openly identify as “queer”. Photo: Social Media
Unconfirmed reports suggesting that Ali Sethi and Salman Toor have tied the knot in New York City have stirred a wave of opinions across orthodox Pakistani Twitter.
Since morning, there have been tweets suggesting that Pakistani singer Ali Sethi, known for his hit song Pasoori, and artist Salman Toor, had a wedding in New York.
If true, this would mark a historic moment as Pakistan's first-ever high-profile gay wedding.
As a result, the hashtags #AliSethi, #NajamSethi, #Pasoori and #LBGTQ+ have been trending on X (formerly Twitter), igniting fervent debates on social media. While orthodox Pakistanis are massively triggered by the news of the wedding, a handful have congratulated Sethi and his father Najam Sethi.
Unverified reports of wedding
- If the rumours are true, Ali Sethi and Salman Toor's wedding would undoubtedly be a milestone, given that it is one of Pakistan's inaugural homosexual weddings.
- So far, neither Ali Sethi nor his father Najam Sethi have confirmed or denied the reports surrounding the wedding.
Confronting tradition and law
- The rumoured wedding has stirred a wave of opinions across orthodox Pakistani Twitter.
LGBTQ IS HARAM. If Ali Sethi and toor did this, they will face jhnum and everyone supporting it or choosing silent over it will bear consequences. I am no one to give fatwa on this but it is clearly mentioned in Quran. pic.twitter.com/aZS8AX9LFK
— Pakiza Amir🦋 (@amir_pakiza) August 11, 2023
- While some liberals hailed his father Najam Sethi for raising a courageous son, hundreds attacked the two of them.
- Pakistani law and religious norms forbid gay marriage, and this has led to orthodox Pakistanis pouring all their rage on social media.
Najam Sethi - Insurgent cum anchor cum political appointee cum corrupt elite.
— Salman Javed (@M_EssJay) August 11, 2023
Ali Sethi - Queer and gay.
Meera Sethi - Incest lover and promoter.
Are we really talking about Sethi family or house lannister?
- The rumoured wedding highlights the inherent homophobia in the Pakistani society.
- Pakistan, a country whose law is broadly based on the sharia, punishes homosexuality with a prison sentence ranging from 2 years to life.
- Ali Sethi, celebrated for his musical prowess and numerous chartbusters, is the son of public figures Najam Sethi and Jugnu Mohsin, and the brother of actress Mira Sethi.
In an Instagram post last month, Ali Sethi also alluded to his 'own (gay) taste' while talking about a Spotify playlist that he had been asked to create.
ALSO READ: What is the meaning of Pasoori, the Ali Sethi song remade for Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani?
Who is Salman Toor?
- Salman Toor is a Pakistan-born American artist, who paints vivid narratives of imagined lives within the context of young South Asian men, often set against the backdrop of South Asia or the streets of New York City.
- Toor, 40, carved a niche for himself in art, choosing New York City as his creative canvas. Ali Sethi is 39.
The reactions to the rumoured wedding of Sethi and Toor echoes the broader struggle for acceptance and understanding within Pakistani society.
In 2021, Ali Sethi and Salman Toor worked with author Amitav Ghosh on his book Jungle Nama. While Sethi narrated the audiobook and performed it, the illustrations in the book were by Toor.