US Embassy working in ‘Trumpian Mode’: Dr Shireen Mazari

The Pakistan Daily November 12, 2020

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Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) has lashed out at the US Embassy in Islamabad after the twitter handle of the embassy retweeted Ahsan Iqbal’s tweet in which he indirectly compared Imran Khan to Trump and called for his removal.

We have one in Pakistan too. He will be shown way out soon. Insha Allah! pic.twitter.com/i1qOil7jvf
— Ahsan Iqbal (@betterpakistan) November 10, 2020

US Embassy Islamabad had retweeted this tweet by opposition leader Ahsan Iqbal

It all started to go downhill from here even though the US embassy apologised for this action saying that the account was accessed without authorisation.

Dear Followers: The U.S. Embassy Islamabad Twitter account was accessed last night without authorization. The U.S. Embassy does not endorse the posting or retweeting of political messages. We apologize for any confusion that may have resulted from the unauthorized post.
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) November 11, 2020

It is considered highly inappropriate for foreign missions to comment on their host countries domestic politics which is why, the Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari slammed the US and claimed that the US embassy was still working in “Trumpian mode”

“US Embassy still working in Trumpian mode in support of convicted absconder & intervening brazenly in our internal politics!”

Such language against the superpower of the world has raised many eyebrows and foreign policy analysts consider this to represent Pakistan’s shift towards China and away from the US.

Accessed by KGB or SAATH?
— Azhar Mashwani (@MashwaniAzhar) November 11, 2020

The controversy reached a tipping point when Azhar Maswani, a focal person to CM Buzdar taunted the US embassy and asked them whether the account was accessed by Russian Intelligence or a private NGOs.

Sources from PTI have told TPD Investigations Desk that they suspect high level lobbying on the part of the PML-N with US diplomats and have looked at the retweet in this lens.