Tensions are brewing between the Pakistani government and the US embassy in Islamabad after the latter retweeted a post by an opposition lawmaker, alluding to Prime Minister Imran Khan as a dictator and demagogue.
Ahsan Iqbal, a former minister and leader of the opposition PML-N party, had commented on a Washington Post publication saying that “Trump’s defeat is a blow to the demagogues and dictators of the world.”
“We also have one in Pakistan. You will soon be shown the exit Inshallah (God willing), ”Iqbal had tweeted, without directly mentioning Khan.
The US embassy account Tuesday night retweeted this, causing an uproar among local tweeters. On Tuesday, #ApologiseUS_Embassy was trending on Twitter.
The embassy clarified on Wednesday that the tweet of his identifier was not authorized.
“Dear Followers: Last night the Twitter account of the United States Embassy in Islamabad was accessed without authorization. The United States Embassy does not endorse the posting or retweeting of political messages. We apologize for any confusion that may have resulted from the unauthorized posting, ”he said.
That should have solved the problem. But Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari and Sindh Governor Imran Ismael demanded an apology from the US embassy on Wednesday.
Mazari tweeted: “This is not good enough especially after a long delay! Clearly, the account was not hacked, so someone who had access to it used it “without authorization”. It is unacceptable for someone who works in the US embassy to push the agenda of a particular political party, have serious consequences, including visa scrutiny of staff. “
Mazari has not only suggested that the U.S. Embassy was lying that his account was hacked and that it was, in fact, an embassy staff member who retweeted, but he also threatened that the move could prevent the issuance of visas for embassy staff. This problem is expected to worsen in the coming days.
“The US embassy continues to work in the Trumpian way in support of convicted fugitives and blatantly intervening in our internal politics,” Mazari said, referring to former PML-N prime minister and leader Nawaz Sharif.
“The Monroe Doctrine died centuries ago too! The US embassy must observe the rules of diplomacy, ”he said.
The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Political Communication, Shahbaz Gill, said that for the first time in history, an embassy was seen “insulting” its own legitimately elected president. “We hope some heads will roll. This is unacceptable! “He said.
The latest development came after many Pakistanis welcomed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump, who had friendly relations with Khan, and publicly praised him for his help in paving the way for the US-US peace agreement. the Taliban.
(With contributions from agencies)
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