Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently extended his congratulations to former U.S. President Donald Trump on his victory in the 2024 Republican presidential race, sparking widespread criticism. Sharif’s message was posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, which has been banned in Pakistan. The incident quickly drew attention, with many users accusing the Pakistani leader of hypocrisy for circumventing his own government’s restrictions.
Post That Sparked Backlash
On November 6, 2024, Prime Minister Sharif shared a post on X congratulating Donald Trump, following his win in securing the Republican nomination. The tweet read, “Congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump on his historic victory for a second term! I look forward to working closely with the incoming Administration to further strengthen and broaden the Pakistan-U.S. partnership.”
However, the response to Sharif’s post was swift and sharp. Despite the ban on X in Pakistan, which Sharif’s government had imposed in 2023, the Prime Minister was found to be accessing the platform via a VPN. This prompted users on X to point out the glaring contradiction in the Prime Minister’s actions.
Pakistani PM taken to cleaners by his audience. 😄😄😄 pic.twitter.com/i1Z5X7lELd
— Levina🇮🇳 (@LevinaNeythiri) November 6, 2024
Accusations of ‘Hypocrisy’ Shortly after Sharif’s message, a Community Note appeared on his post, reminding readers of the government’s ban on the platform and the Prime Minister’s violation of Pakistani laws by using a VPN to access X.
One user commented, “Check this out people — Shameless & mandates thief @CMShehbaz is congratulating @realDonaldTrump via X after banning X for his own Pakistani nation — this is called true hypocrisy!!” This comment encapsulated the frustration many felt about the double standard displayed by the Prime Minister.
Further criticism arose when users pointed out the wider problem of government ministers accessing X via VPNs, despite the official ban. One X user remarked, “The government has imposed a ban on Twitter in Pakistan, with reports suggesting that even ministers are accessing the platform using VPNs. It’s quite an irony for a government that’s restricting public access while using the same tools to bypass their own rules.”
Pakistan’s Government Response To Trump’s Victory
Despite the backlash over Sharif’s post, the Pakistan government attempted to clarify its stance regarding Trump’s victory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement emphasizing that the result of the U.S. presidential election would not affect Pakistan’s relationship with China.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office, said, “Our relations with the United States are decades old, and we look forward to further strengthening and broadening Pakistan-U.S. relationships in all fields.”
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