Overseas Pakistanis call Pak minister 'Propaganda minister'
Jul 18, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], July 18 : A Pakistani American has called Pakistan's Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal a "propaganda minister" and claimed that he was "talking to the wrong audience".
During the question-and-answer session at the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) conference, Iqbal faced hard-hitting questions from Pakistani Americans.
The Pakistani American man maintained that parties such as Iqbal's, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), intentionally perpetuate illiteracy in rural areas to benefit their party and here, he was addressing the conference which was of "illiterate" people, Pakistani newspaper Daily Times reported.
The man asked, "If you do not give us the right to vote, what right do you have to address us?" He was alluding to the coalition government's decision to amend the electoral reforms bill and successfully striking off overseas Pakistanis' right to vote.
Another individual alleged that everyone knew who "the boss" was in the country and that it was the current coalition government that called the former PTI government "selected", then "how did you [Iqbal] become part of this 'selected' lot."
However, after the conference, the Planning Minister claimed that he had a lively question and answer session in a very democratic and professional manner.
Taking to Twitter, Iqbal further added that he offered APPNA full assistance to set up a modern teaching hospital and medical college in Pakistan.
Last week, a short video of a family heckling the federal planning minister at a McDonald's restaurant near Bhera Interchange on Motorway M-2, was trending on Twitter. The family came out as supporters of Imran Khan and shouted, "Thief, thief" in Iqbal's face as staff and customers looked bemused, according to Daily Times.
Later, Iqbal said that the family came to his hometown of Narowal and apologised for their actions.
"[The family] expressed remorse and embarrassment. I had already announced that I will not take legal action against them. We all are Pakistanis and we don't have to turn the right to disagree into hate and maintain mutual respect," he wrote on his official Twitter handle while sharing a picture of the meeting with the family.
