Cockroaches cross borders: India made a ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ — Pakistan now has one too

The viral rise of India’s “Cockroach Janta Party” has now crossed borders, inspiring the creation of several similar online groups in Pakistan, including the “Cockroach Awami Party” (CAP) and the “Cockroach Awami League” (CAL).

What began in India as a satirical online movement has rapidly gained attention on social media, with the Cockroach Janta Party reportedly attracting more than 19 million followers on Instagram.

How the movement started in India

The “Cockroach Janta Party” emerged in mid-May following outrage over remarks allegedly linked to Chief Justice Surya Kant, in which unemployed young activists were reportedly compared to “cockroaches” and “parasites”.

Although clarification was later issued regarding the remarks, the issue quickly gained momentum online and led to the rise of the satirical movement among young social media users.

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Pakistani versions appear online

Within days, similar pages and groups began appearing across Pakistani social media platforms.

One of the earliest Instagram accounts to surface was the “Cockroach Awami Party”, which openly acknowledged taking inspiration from the Indian movement. “Yeah copied but who cares. Motto is same,” the bio of the account stated.

The page currently has over 1,700 followers and says it aims to become “the real voice of every Gen-Z” in Pakistan. The group has also adopted a logo similar to the Indian version but uses green-and-white colours associated with Pakistan’s national identity.

The account clarified that it is “not associated with any single person or any single team”.

Memes, slogans and political satire

Most of the content posted by these accounts includes memes, reposted reels and satirical political commentary. The page also announced plans to reveal its official motto on May 28.

Other accounts have also surfaced on Instagram and X. One account, @CockroachAP, wrote in its bio, “Those whom the system treated as cockroaches, we are the voice of those people”.

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Another page named “Cockroach Awami League Pakistan” described itself as the “official account” of the movement and used the slogan, “We remain alive in every situation”.

While the Pakistani versions are still relatively small in reach, the trend has drawn attention online for mirroring the language and branding of the Indian movement.