Video: Ahsan Iqbal harassed by PTI supporters in restaurant

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal was harassed by a group of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters on Friday when he went to a restaurant.

Video of the incident took social media by storm where a pro-PTI family could be seen hurling ‘chor chor’ at Iqbal.

Taking to Twitter, Iqbal wrote: “Today, a family — who apparently considered themselves elites and supported PTI — clashed with me.”

آج بھیرہ میکڈونلڈ میں ایک یوتھین فیملی سے مڈبھیڑ ہوئی جو بظاہر خود کو ایلیٹ سمجھتی ہے مگر مکالمہ کی بجائے جاہلوں کی طرح نعرہ بازی شروع کر دی۔جب یہ نعرہ بازی سے باز نہ آئی تو لوگوں نے بھی نعرے لگا دئیے “گوگی پیرنی کا حساب دو”
جیسا جاہل اور پاگل خود ویسے ہی پیروکار پیدا کر رہا ہے۔

— Ahsan Iqbal (@betterpakistan) July 8, 2022

“Instead of holding a dialogue with me they started chanting slogans,” he wrote, adding that other people present at the restaurant also started chanting slogans against the PTI.

Criticising the PTI Chairman Imran Khan for instilling hatred, Iqbal wrote: “Just like their ignorant leader, his supporters are following suit.”

Responding to the video, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry negated Iqbal’s claims that other people present at the restaurant chanted slogans against the PTI.

“Sir, in this video, only your disrespect could be seen. Stop lying,” he wrote on Twitter, advising Iqbal to “go in public wearing a burqa”.

سر ویڈیو میں تو صرف آپ کی بے عزتی نظر آئ ہے، آپ جھوٹ بولنا بند کریں اور لوگوں میں برقع پہن کر جایا کریں https://t.co/aEuXDcwdCh

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) July 8, 2022

Twitterati reacted to the incident and called out the pro-PTI family’s behaviour.

نفرت کی کوئی حد نہیں ہوتی۔ اس کلپ کو دیکھ کر بڑوں کے کردار پر حیرت نہیں ہوئی۔ یہ کمینی حرکت پہلی دفعہ نہیں ہوئی۔ البتہ کم عمر بچوں کو اس زلالت کا حصہ بنتے اور بناتے دیکھ کر بہت دکھ ہوا۔ نفرتوں کے سوداگروں کو مبارک۔ لیکن اس کی قیمت وہ بھی ادا کریں گے۔ https://t.co/4Ox6PM1UOY

— Muneeb Farooq (@muneebfaruqpak) July 8, 2022

What he has been subjected to in McDonald's last night is outright harassment and breach of personal space. Being a woman doesn't give us the pass to mistreat men just because we do not agree with them. Had he replied back in the same tone, this could have taken another turn.(3)

— Saadia Ahmed (@khwamkhwah) July 9, 2022

That McInquilabis video is so depressing: the family genuinely thought it was doing something radical. When really all they did was show to the world just how terribly far they've been from any kind of tameez. Dumb and badtehzeeb: the orcy nature of this one cult.

— Zebunnisa Burki (@zburki) July 8, 2022