Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has deleted a Twitter post pertaining to an alleged meeting between the prime minister’s aide and Israeli officials after backlash on the social media platform.
The PML-N vice-president had retweeted the tweet of Noor Dahri, the founder and executive director of UK-based Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism (ITCT), who gave an interview to Israeli TV channel i24TV.
The PML-N leader shared the post because it implicated the incumbent premier for his alleged efforts to normalise ties with Israel.
But, the post backfired as the video shared by Maryam also implicated her father Nawaz Sharif, who has served as three-time prime minister, tried to establish ties with Tel Aviv.
Subsequently, she deleted the tweet, but not before screenshots started making rounds on social media. The official Twitter handle of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also shared a screen recording of her deleted tweet.
A PTI supporter shared that the PML-N VP deleted the tweet because it “implicates Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto”.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari rejected the reports about any visit to Israel. According to Bukhari, he was with the deputy commissioner in Rawalpindi that day.
Bukhari said the Indian and Israeli sponsored media and the frustrated opposition wanted to “create some controversy”.
“If it is directed against me, I would like to clarify that I was in Rawalpindi with the deputy commissioner on the day, and pictures of the event are also available,” said Bukhari.
The report had claimed that an adviser of PM Imran Khan, who is a British national, went to Israel with a message from the prime minister.
An Israeli media outlet reported that the unnamed adviser was welcomed by the Israeli officials at the airport as the visit was approved by the US.
The adviser was escorted to the “foreign ministry of Israel where he met several political officials and diplomats and delivered the message of the Pakistani PM”, the reports claimed.
