Hashtag “#ShameOnUsmanDar” on Wednesday started trending on Twitter after Special Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Youth Affairs, Usman Dar, made fun of Pashtun workers.
“In the end, they [the Azadi marchers] will get the same [returns] as those Pathan [vendors] who roam in streets and sell a blanket worth Rs500 for Rs50,” the PTI leader had said while appearing on Express News’ programme To the Point earlier this week.
He was immediately called out by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Hina Pervaiz Butt, who was also a guest on the show. “I want to condemn [the usage] of the word Pathan [randomly] like this. We are all Pakistanis,” she said.
Dar, however, continued to use the rhetoric until the show’s host, Mansoor Ali Khan, asked him to take his words back.
“Alright, I will take [my words] back,” the PTI leader later conceded.
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The remarks invited a backlash on Twitter, where “Shame on Usman Dar” became a top trend as users condemned the PTI leader’s choice of words.
MNA Mohsin Dawar also reacted to Dar’s statement, saying, “Pashtun displacement into Punjab is a cost of Pakistan’s strategic depth policy.”
“These Pashtuns won’t have left their homeland, if it wasn’t used for strategic games and was allowed to grow to full potential. #ShameOnUsmanDar for making fun of those who are just making an honest living,” he added.
