From India, the cockroach janta party phenomenon that became viral on the Indian social media platforms has now spread to Pakistan, where a number of parody political handles have sprung up, inspired from the Indian trend. From being just an innocent joke in India, mocking a controversial statement from a Supreme Court hearing, the viral trend has now expanded its wings to become a more elaborate internet phenomena, with some Pakistani social media users coming up with their own parody movements like Cockroach Awami Party, Cockroach Awami League, and even Muttahida Cockroach Movement.
Pakistani social media sees rise of Cockroach Awami Party accounts
Reports say that several Pakistan-based pages inspired by India’s Cockroach Janta Party have appeared online over the last few days. Among the most visible are Cockroach Awami Party, Cockroach Awami League and Muttahida Cockroach Movement. One of the pages describes itself as “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for Pakistan”. Another account’s bio says, “Jinhein system ne cockroach samjha, hum unhi awaam ki awaaz hain”.
The pages closely resemble the Indian version in branding and style, though Pakistani creators have used a green-and-white colour theme. Many social media users say this is meant to distinguish the movement from mainstream political parties such as Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
How the Cockroach Janta Party started in India
India’s Cockroach Janta Party was started by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian student studying at Boston University in the United States. He previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party as a political communications strategist. The movement quickly gained traction online after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made remarks during a Supreme Court hearing comparing some unemployed youth and activists to “cockroaches” and “parasites”.
“There are youngsters like cockroaches, they don’t get any employment, they don’t have any place in profession,” Justice Kant had said. He later clarified that he was referring to people entering professions using fake degrees, as per reports.
The phrase soon became a meme online, eventually leading to the creation of the Cockroach Janta Party. Despite not being a formal political party, it reportedly crossed 20 million Instagram followers within less than a week.
Pakistan versions remain decentralised unlike Indian original
Unlike the Indian Cockroach Janta Party, which has a known founder, manifesto and official website, the Pakistani versions are far more decentralised. Different creators are independently launching their own satire pages, slogans and digital campaigns. Some users are treating the movement as political humour, while others see it as a reflection of frustration among younger social media users. The rapid spread of these pages shows how quickly internet satire can cross borders in South Asia.
Online satire movement continues gaining momentum across borders
Reports say that the Cockroach Janta Party trend continues to dominate discussions across Instagram, X and other platforms in both India and Pakistan. While the movement started as satire, its massive following has turned it into one of the biggest internet conversations of the month.
Even though it remains unofficial and decentralised, the emergence of Pakistani versions shows how digital political humour can quickly evolve into a cross-border social media movement.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
