Actor Imran Abbas has come out to defend comedian Tabish Hashmi after the latter’s remarks in the wake of Karachi’s Gul Plaza fire stirred the ire of Sindh Information and Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.

In a story posted on Instagram, the actor said if politicians took the city’s problems with even a fraction of the seriousness they take Hashmi’s joke with, “they wouldn’t be dodging the real issues he was pointing out”.

Appearing as a guest on the show Report Card on January 20, the comedian had made remarks critical of the provincial government and Karachi’s municipal authorities. He suggested that the city be “privatised” and that citizens should pool together funds to buy their city. Hashmi said the people couldn’t run the city worse than it is being run now, even if they tried.

In a press conference following that, Memon was asked about the comedian’s comments, which he said “had no value”. He called Hashmi “dim-witted” and “foolish”, insisting “he has never read the law, never read anything, never read history and has no understanding of Sindh’s geography”.

The reality of the situation, however, is that Hashmi isn’t alone in criticising the provincial government. Initial public reactions to the Gul Plaza blaze were equally scathing, if not more so. Much of the people’s anger was directed towards the provincial government and the comedian’s statements seem to be reflective of that.