In a video that went viral on Twitter, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s senior leadership including Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail and Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi were seen arguing over the post-media briefing following their meeting with legislatures and concerned stakeholders on Karachi’s development projects.
In a hot-mic video, the jittered ministers expressed cluelessness and confusion on media talk regarding the meeting. Asad Umar was, particularly, offended with the idea of a press conference on the meeting calling it ‘ridiculous’ in the video. Despite the presence of the media, the minister expressed annoyance upon being asked to conduct a press conference without a presentation of the meeting.
Governance like a well-oiled machine… pic.twitter.com/qvk6Q80XQE
— Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) January 2, 2020
On the other hand, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail was heard asking Asad Umar about the media briefing and who had to do media briefing. Meanwhile, Ali Zaidi cracked a joke that he was there to eat biscuits.
In case you’re lost, that’s PTI ministers arguing among themselves before a presscon. Apparently the presentation has gone missing, so Asad Umar blows a fuse, asks why they’re even doing a presscon without a presentation. Governor Ismail: ‘What’s a media briefing?’…
— Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) January 2, 2020
Though PTI leaders held a press conference despite slight chaos but the viral video of the ministers generated negative reactions on social media. The social media users asserted that the video of the ministers insinuate their incompetence to run a government.
Lolz Main tu biscuit khanay aya tha 😂
— Irum Azeem Farooque (@Irumf) January 3, 2020
They are not politicians. They are con artists.
— Fauzia (@fauziamalik786) January 2, 2020
This is, however, not the first time the PTI leaders have stirred up embarrassing situations. A score of senior ministers including Faisal Vawda, Zartaj Gul Wazir, Shaheryar Khan, and Sheikh Rashid have resorted to faux passes that backfired on them savagely.
Federal Minister for Climate Change once attributed the heavy spells of rain in Pakistan to Prime Minister Imran Khan. In one of the speeches, she commented that Pakistan is receiving abundant rain and snowfall because an honest man like Imran Khan is the premier of Pakistan.
Read more: Insensitive Remarks on Earthquake: Twitter schools PTI’s Firdous Ashiq Awan
On the other hand, Federal Minister for Water Resources, Faisal Vawda, in a chest-thumping statement said that the economy of Pakistan will drastically improve not within a few years but few months that the number of jobs will surpass the job seekers. He said these statements in a live TV program adding that if that does not happen ‘you can make Tikka botis out of me.’
“Biscoot khaane aye the”
That’s all they meant.— Nindy Dewan (@nindy_dewan) January 3, 2020
18 months in office& chaps still dont seem to have a grasp on things ? Fuck all previous Govts & miseries they left 4current lot. What v hear &see in this video is most disconcerting &makes one wonder of the kind of equation they have with each other-no wonder the daily circus .
— TerracottaWarrior (@SyedKhawarmehdi) January 3, 2020
Then, his gimmicks of appearing in a bullet-proof jacket with a pistol at a Chinese Embassy in Karachi after a terrorist attack also added embarrassment to the nascent government.
Even Federal Minister Sheikh Rashid was heard blaming the passengers for the Tezgam Express fire tragedy. While the accident exposed wrong decision and incompetence allegedly on part of the railway management Sheikh Rashid insisted that passengers are to be blamed for the careless use of gas cylinders in the train.