Pakistan gets its own ‘Cockroach’ political movement after India’s CJP viral trend

Delhi: The viral “cockroach” political satire movement that began in India has now crossed the border into Pakistan, with several social media accounts inspired by the Cockroach Janta Party rapidly appearing online.

The Indian movement, which exploded across social media shortly after its launch on May 16, has now inspired multiple Pakistani versions carrying similar branding, messaging and anti-establishment themes.

The phenomenon reflects how online political satire is increasingly resonating with younger audiences across South Asia, particularly around issues such as unemployment, frustration with political systems and public disenchantment with mainstream parties.

Pakistani versions of the ‘Cockroach’ movement appear online

Pakistani social media platforms are now seeing the rise of accounts using names such as Cockroach Awami Party, Cockroach Awami League and Muttahida Cockroach Movement.

Several of these pages present themselves as youth-driven political alternatives.

One account bio describes itself as “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for Pakistan”.

Another profile states: “Jinhein system ne cockroach samjha, hum unhi awaam ki awaaz hain” which translates to, “We are the voice of those people whom the system considered cockroaches.”

The messaging closely mirrors the tone adopted by the original Indian movement, which positioned the “cockroach” as a symbol of resilience, survival and resistance against political and institutional structures.

Branding mirrors Indian counterpart with Pakistani twist

The logos and visual identity of the Pakistani accounts strongly resemble those used by India’s Cockroach Janta Party, although the Pakistani versions largely use a green-and-white colour scheme.

Observers say the branding appears designed to distinguish the movement from Pakistan’s established political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party.

Unlike the Indian movement, however, the Pakistani versions do not appear to operate under a single central leadership structure.

India’s Cockroach Janta Party was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian student currently studying at Boston University.

Dipke previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party as a political communications strategist.

The Indian movement has developed an identifiable structure, including a manifesto and an official website, helping it gain visibility far beyond social media satire pages.

In contrast, the Pakistani adaptations remain considerably more decentralised, with different creators independently launching their own versions of the movement online.

Movement began after Supreme Court remarks

The Cockroach Janta Party emerged after remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing.

During the proceedings, Kant reportedly compared 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,” he had said.

However, the Chief Justice later clarified that his remarks were aimed at individuals entering professions using fake degrees.

The comments nevertheless triggered widespread discussion online and eventually became the catalyst for the satirical movement.

Social media growth continues at rapid pace

Although it is not formally registered as a political party, the Cockroach Janta Party has witnessed explosive online growth.

The movement has already crossed more than 20 million followers on Instagram in less than a week, making it one of the fastest-growing political satire phenomena on Indian social media in recent times.

With agency inputs