Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s spokesperson on trade and investment for the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe, Sahibzada Jahangir, has confused two of the military’s former spokespersons while congratulating one of them over his appointment as the special assistant to PM (SAPM) on information and broadcasting.
Former Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general (DG) Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa on Monday replaced Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan as the premier’s media aide while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Shibli Faraz was appointed as the new federal minister for information.
With the new appointments being reported, congratulatory messages starting pouring in on Twitter, among which was that of Jahangir, who is also the elder brother of former PTI senior leader Fauzia Kasuri.
The now-deleted tweet by Jahangir, a screenshot of which is available with The Current, congratulated Asim Bajwa while the picture attached along with the tweet showed the PM’s spokesperson with Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor instead.
Ghafoor had replaced Bajwa as the ISPR chief in late 2016.
The congratulatory message has once again been tweeted by Jahangir, but this time without a picture.
“Congratulations to Lt.Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa on his desrved appointment as SAPM for Broadcasting & Information. I extend best wishes to him. @ImranKhanPTI @AsimBajwaISPR [sic],” it states.
Jahangir, who is among PM Imran Khan’s oldest friends, was appointed as the premier’s spokesperson on trade and investment for the UK and Europe on an honorary basis in July 2019.
PTI leaders say that Jahangir has always played a central role in raising funds for PTI, Shaukat Khanum Hospital and NAMAL University. They say his appointment was an acknowledgment of the loyal workers of PTI who have always stood by Imran.
According to Jahangir, who had in 2018 refused to take charge as SAPM on foreign investment after criticism over social media, he does not take any salary or privileges while acting on behalf of the PM to take trade and business to Pakistan and generate more interest in investment in the country.
