The US Embassy in Pakistan is claiming their Twitter account was accessed “without authorization” when it retweeted a political message from Ahsan Iqbal, a lawmaker rival of Prime Minister Imram Khan.
“The US Embassy does not endorse the posting or retweeting of political messages,” the embassy’s account tweeted on Wednesday. “We apologize for any confusion that may have resulted from the unauthorized post.”
The tweet in question from Iqbal, a member of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, predicted the prime minister would be shown the way out in the wake of Trump’s presumed loss to Joe Biden in the US presidential election.
Responding to a Washington Post headline that read “Trump’s defeat is a blow for the world’s demagogues and dictators,” Iqbal wrote, “We have one in Pakistan too. He will be shown [the] way out soon.”
The hashtag #ApologiseUSEmbassy began trending in Pakistan on Wednesday, eventually leading to the apology, though criticism of the post has continued.
“Embarrassing. The US embassy tweeting derogatory comments about sitting US President Mr. Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Imran Khan. First time ever seen an embassy insulting its own lawful elected president. We expect some heads must roll,” Dr. Shahbaz Gill, a special assistant to Khan, tweeted.
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