After India, Pakistan gets ‘Cockroach Awami Party’:Bio says, ‘Yeah, copied, but who cares, Motto is the same’

Following the popularity of India’s online-based Cockroach Janta Party, several similar satirical political groups have appeared in Pakistan, including the Cockroach Awami Party (CAP) and Cockroach Awami League (CAL). The first major Instagram page to appear was the Cockroach Awami Party. The group openly admitted it was inspired by the Indian movement. Its bio says, “Yeah, copied, but who cares. Motto is the same.” At the time of writing, the account had more than 1,600 followers. The page says it is not linked to any individual or organisation, but aims to become “the real voice of every Gen-Z” in Pakistan. Its logo is similar to the Indian group’s symbol, but uses green and white colours. The account presents itself as an alternative to mainstream political parties such as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Most of its posts feature memes and short videos taken from different creators. The account also announced that it would reveal its official slogan on May 28. Another account, called Cockroach Awami League Pakistan, claimed to be the official page. Its Urdu slogan says, “We are alive in every situation.” Unlike India’s Cockroach Janta Party, which has a clear founder, manifesto and website, the Pakistani versions are still scattered, with many users creating their own pages independently. How India’s Cockroach Janta Party started India’s Cockroach Janta Party went viral in mid-May after remarks by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant sparked reactions online. During a hearing, the Chief Justice reportedly referred to some unemployed young activists as “cockroaches” and “parasites”. However, he later clarified that the comments were not aimed at all unemployed youth. Soon after, US-based public relations graduate and former Aam Aadmi Party associate Abhijeet Dipke launched the Cockroach Janta Party on May 16, along with a Google Form-based membership campaign. Within days, the party’s Instagram account gained more than 15 million followers, surpassing the official Instagram pages of both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress. The group positioned itself as a voice for “lazy and unemployed” youth and focused on issues such as education, healthcare, jobs, exam reforms and accountability. Although the party’s X account was briefly withheld in India on Thursday, it later returned through another account with the message: “You thought you could get rid of us? Lol”. Similar meme pages emerge in Pakistan After the Indian page became popular, several similar social media accounts quickly appeared in Pakistan. One X account described itself with the line: “Those whom the system treated like cockroaches, we are the voice of those people.” Another page linked to the Cockroach Awami League used the slogan: “Alive in every situation.” The trend reflects how online satire and meme-based political movements are increasingly attracting young social media users across South Asia. ​