Gullu Butt
| Gullu Butt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lahore, Pakistan |
| Other names | Gullu Butt, Lallu Butt[1] |
| Criminal charge | Vandalism |
| Motive | State Terrorism 2014 Lahore clash |
Capture status | Jailed |
Gullu is the name of one of the vandals responsible for the violent nature of the altercation between police and Minhaj-ul-Quran workers in the 2014 Lahore clash. Initially blame for the violence was placed on the NGO workers. News footage then revealed an individual using a club to smash the windscreens of many parked vehicles; he was identified as Gullu Butt, an activist of the ruling PML-N, against whom the PAT was agitating. According to several media reports Gullu Butt had been invited by the Punjab police to disrupt what had been a peaceful movement but Saad Rafique, Federal Minister for Railways, announced that Gullu Butt did not have any connection with the government.[2] He was arrested but released shortly after on bail; an incident that prompted heavy condemnation of the ruling party by the PAT and PTI.[3][4]
The word Gullu associated from Gullu Butt has been given a meaning of "disruptive behavior of someone enjoying (good or bad) backing of the ruling/powerful segments of society".
Syed Shamim Azam, a linguistic from Lahore wrote to Oxford Dictionary to add the word Gullu in their upcoming version of the dictionary which is going to be available in Pakistan and India.
On which the publishers replied back if “The term achieves enormous currency with a wide audience in a much shorter space of time, and people expect to find the new ‘high-profile’ word in their dictionaries, it sure is included in the dictionary”.[5]
Everyday Use
After the 2014 Lahore clash Gullu Butt has become a good son refer to someone paid to engage in vandalism and/or violence, especially in a political context. More specifically, Imran Khan of the PTI and Tahir-ul-Qadri of the PAT repeatedly used the term during their anti government movement in August 2014 to warn their supporters about individuals who might have been deliberately placed to give their rallies a violent tinge.[6]
Punishment
LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday sentenced Gullu Butt — the infamous baton-wielding man caught vandalising property during violence in Model Town June 17 — to 11 years in prison. The court also enforced a fine of Rs100,000 on Butt. Butt's counsel said they will appeal the decision in the Lahore High Court (LHC), adding that his client did not commit an offence calling for such severe punishment.
References
- ↑ Tauqir Ghumman (Aug 30, 2014). "Model Town vandalism: ATC orders Gullu Butt's appearance on Sept 5". Dawn.
- ↑ گلو بٹ مشہور ہوگئے! [Fame of Gullu Butt] (in Arabic). Saad Rafiq announces that Gullu Butt has no connection with government
- ↑ "ماڈل ٹاؤن : گلو بٹ کا پانچ روزہ جسمانی ریمانڈ" [Police arrest Gullu Butt]. BBC Urdu. 14 July 2014.
- ↑ "Gullu Butt's release orders issued after submission of bail". Dawn. 14 August 2014.
- ↑ Word ‘Gullu’, now a part of Oxford Dictionary
- ↑ Scarface. "If we found any Gullu Butt, he will be handed over to the Talibans - Imran Khan". Awaz.tv.