Asim Azhar Praises Rajab Butt, Internet Calls It Self-Cancellation
By Sayed Abdullah | June 12, 2026
The internet has a long memory and a short fuse. Asim Azhar, the singer who built a career on boyish charm and a string of hits that made him one of Pakistan's most streamed artists, walked directly into that combination this week. Rajab Butt — the YouTuber whose public divorce from Emaan Fatima and subsequent controversies have made him a deeply polarising figure — posted a reel set to Azhar's song "Tu Hai Wohi." Azhar could have ignored it. He could have offered a polite thank you and moved on. Instead, he went all in. "Nahhh this is peak love it brooo aap ne level bht high set kardiya hai," he wrote on his story. Then, on the reel itself, he added: "shehzada lag rha hai mera bhai thank you so much my love."
The backlash arrived within hours. And it was not subtle.
The Full Story
The comments section under Azhar's post became a referendum on his judgment. "Are you seriously praising this man, what the hell is wrong with you," one user wrote. Another warned: "Asim you really should be ready for the backlash now." The tone was not just critical — it was disappointed, the particular kind of frustration that fans reserve for artists they once admired. "I literally thought Asim had some class," one comment read. Another cut deeper: "Asim Azhar really said 'let me throw my entire reputation in the trash' by praising Rajab Butt. We expected better. We were wrong."
The core of the criticism was not just about the praise itself. It was about who Azhar was praising. Rajab Butt has been a controversial figure, particularly around his treatment of women. His divorce from Emaan Fatima played out publicly and painfully, and his subsequent behaviour has earned him a reputation that many describe as misogynistic. Azhar's enthusiastic embrace — calling him "bhai," calling him "my love" — was read by many as an endorsement not just of Butt's content, but of the person. "One red flag appreciating another red flag," one reply read. Another user wrote: "Given the type of person Rajab is, he has always been seen disrespecting women and fulfils all the boxes of being a misogynist and then Asim comes calling him bhai, my love. I mean, you know who are you enabling?"
Some users tied the interaction directly to Azhar's music. "Tu Hai Wohi got flopped, and Asim Azhar really thought promoting it through someone like Rajab Butt would help? Straight up embarrassing and pathetic. Do better, Asim," one comment read. Others kept it short and brutal. "If apni fielding khud set karna had a face," one wrote. Another: "Lollll one more reason to cancel Asim Azhar." A netizen added: "Asim calling Rajab bhai was not in my bingo 2026." And there was this observation, sharp and sociological: "Funny how these specific breeds of men are always connected somehow."
A few users extended the criticism to both men equally. "Both are of same level," one said. "Both are overrated, honestly we all really need to stop giving attention to these people." Another summed it up with brutal simplicity: "A cheater supporting another cheater." The online verdict, at least in the first 24 hours, was near-unanimous: Azhar had made a mistake, and the internet was not going to let him forget it.
Why This Moment Matters
Asim Azhar's predicament is a case study in how celebrity works in 2026. It is not enough to make good music. It is not enough to be charming in interviews. The audience now demands alignment — moral, political, personal. Every public interaction is scanned for what it says about who you are and what you condone. Azhar calling Rajab Butt "my love" was not just a friendly comment. In the eyes of his critics, it was a signal. It said: I am comfortable with this person. I am in community with this person. And if this person has a history of behaviour I find objectionable, then your comfort with him tells me something about you.
This is the logic of cancellation, and it is often criticised for being harsh or unforgiving. But it is also a form of accountability that did not exist before social media. Ten years ago, a singer could praise a controversial YouTuber and nobody would know except the people in the room. Now, the praise is public, the backlash is public, and the judgment is rendered in real time. Azhar walked into this knowingly or unknowingly — only he knows which — and the result is a damaged reputation that will take time to repair.
There is also the question of whether Azhar understood the weight of what he was doing. It is possible he saw the reel, liked the song placement, and responded with the kind of effusive warmth that is common in the entertainment industry. But ignorance is no longer an excuse that the internet accepts. If you have a platform, you are expected to know who you are amplifying. And Rajab Butt's controversies are not obscure. They have been covered extensively, debated in comment sections, and argued about in living rooms. Azhar's decision to publicly embrace him — with "my love," no less — suggests either a lack of awareness or a lack of concern. Neither is a good look.
The Pakistani Connection
I was scrolling through the comments on Azhar's post late at night, yaar, and what struck me was not just the anger but the exhaustion. Pakistani social media users are tired. They are tired of seeing men with platforms embrace other men with bad records. They are tired of the pattern: a woman is publicly disrespected, the man responsible faces minimal consequences, and other men in the industry continue to treat him as a friend, a brother, a "shehzada." Azhar's post was not unique. It was the latest in a long line of public validations that tell women, however unintentionally, that their experiences do not matter enough to affect who gets called "my love."
For Azhar's fans, the disappointment is real. He built his following on songs that were tender, romantic, emotionally accessible — "Tu Hai Wohi," the very song at the centre of this controversy, is a love song. The disconnect between the persona that sings those lyrics and the person who calls Rajab Butt "my love" is jarring. Fans do not expect perfection. But they do expect consistency. When the gap between the art and the artist becomes too wide, the audience notices. And once they notice, they do not un-notice. Azhar will have to decide whether this was a one-off error in judgment or a reflection of something deeper. The internet has already made up its mind. Whether that verdict sticks depends on what he does next.
What do you think — did Asim Azhar make a mistake, or is the internet overreacting? Share your thoughts.
Sayed Abdullah is the founder and editor of Prime Pakistan. Based in Karachi, he writes about culture, entertainment, and the stories that shape Pakistani lives. Read more.
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Sources
- Asim Azhar's Instagram — Original story and reel comment.
- Rajab Butt's Instagram — Original reel using "Tu Hai Wohi."
- X (Twitter) and Instagram comments — Public reactions to the interaction.
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