Bakhtawar trolls Fawad Ch for ‘demanding’ president, PM’s resignation over headwear choices

Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari and the late former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has hit back at former federal minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry for demanding “resignations” from her father as well as Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif over their choice of headwear.

“Resignations should be demanded from Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif for their caps at Erdogan’s reception alone,” Fawad wrote in a social media post as pictures and videos of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s arrival in Pakistan went viral over the internet.

The visuals from the reception showed President Zardari and PM Shehbaz receiving the Turkish president upon his arrival at the Nur Khan Airbase on a two-day visit late Wednesday night.

With Fawad taking to X to poke fun at the two leaders, Bakhtawar hit back with a picture of PTI founder and jailed former premier Imran Khan’s photo from one of his court hearings. The picture showed Khan wearing a makeshift black box-like bulletproof helmet to an anti-terror court for seeking his bail extension back in 2023.

It may be noted that the now-jailed former PM was repeatedly spotted wearing the bulletproof box every time he left his Zaman Park residence in Lahore following the attempt on his life during a party rally in Wazirabad. Khan had received a bullet injury to his right leg back in November 2022 when an assailant opened fire at his container during a protest march across Punjab. The attack had led to widespread claims that Khan faced threats to his life and thus had to travel under high security.

Erdogan in Pakistan

Meanwhile, President Erdogan’s Pakistan trip has wrapped up. During his stay, both countries signed 24 agreements and memorandums of understanding to enhance their cooperation across various sectors, including trade, media, defence, and healthcare.

“We aim to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion,” PM Shehbaz said as he bid farewell to the Turkish leader.

While the visit marked a significant milestone in fostering stronger diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries, the two leaders also held talks on regional and global issues, underscoring their mutual interest in strengthening bilateral relations.

The high-level meetings also saw the co-chairing of the Pakistan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council's seventh meeting. Both sides reviewed reports from nine joint committees across various sectors, including health and information technology.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir also participated in the session.