Babies Born In Traffic Jams Get Weird Names

Foreign Policy magazine reports that two Pakistani women who gave birth during a fairly epic traffic jam have given their children some pretty odd names. The traffic jam was caused by a visit to the Swat Valley by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Authorities had imposed a curfew on the Saidu Sharif road during the visit and because of the road closeures, one woman gave birth in the Makanbagh area while the other gave birth at the Haji Baba Chowk. These are all cool names I’m writing here. But I’m not sure how I feel about the actual names the babies received.

See, as a way of protesting the delays that they experienced on their way to the hospital, the two women named their babies after the men who caused the delays.. Like, one is named Yousuf Raza and one is named Ashfag Parvez.

I’m sorry, how is this a sign of protest and not a sign of honor? Also, I think it’s good that “whatever bad thing happened today just before birth” is not a common way of naming children. Or is it? My children would have been named “no progress during labor” and “husband preoccupied with work on way to hospital” and I think we can agree that these are in no way good names for children.

But all the best to young Yousuf and Ashfaq. May they have few traffic james in their future.