I read a news item about the Indian Foreign Minister (Ms Sushma Swaraj) snubbing her effeminate Pakistani counterpart ("Sushma Swaraj Snubs Shah Mehmood Qureshi; Refuses To Stand Next To Her"). Since it was the lady who refused to stand next to the gentleman, the headline and the news item should have said "him" (not "her").
But we shouldn't be surprised. Frequently we read sentences like "she went with his husband" and "He spoke to her wife". This is a direct translation from Urdu and Hindi to English, therefore such mistakes are common in the subcontinent. And since most journalists (even in English newspapers) don't know English well enough, they make such mistakes. But at least their editors should first look at their news items before printing them. There was a time when editors were conscientious men and women who were devoted to their jobs. But you don't come across such people anymore. All that they do nowadays is just copy and paste. Which is why (even in DAWN) letters to the editor are full of atrocious mistakes.
But how do you explain this to someone who has studied in an Urdu or Sindhi medium school? You'd be wise not to try. There are enough problems in our lives without being told by idiots that we don't know English.
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