WASHINGTON (News Desk) – Update: Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakariya has dismissed the reports claiming Pakistani ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani has been reprimanded by the White House through a letter, saying that no such letter was received by the Pakistani Mission in the United States.
Original Story: Pakistani ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has recently been criticised by the White House for tweeting a picture during the last week of May which showed him along with US First Lady Michelle Obama.
On May 28, the Pakistani ambassador had tweeted: “It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today,” with a picture. However, the tweet was removed afterwards.
In a letter, the White House said that Jilani’s action was undiplomatic and a breach of trust. “Mrs Obama’s brief visit to the residence of the ambassador was purely personal and extracting any political gain out of that was unprofessional,” the official letter added.
According to The News International, Michelle Obama’s visit to the Pakistan House – Jilani’s residence – was actually connected with his son’s graduation party, who attended the same school as President Barack Obama’s daughters.
However, the picture tweeted by Jalil Abbas Jilani gave an impression as if the US First Lady had very close ties with the family of the Pakistani ambassador. Jilani was also scolded by the Pakistani Foreign Office for this, the newspaper claimed while quoting unnamed sources.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani ambassador to the US has categorically denied the development, terming at incorrect in a one-liner response.
It is also worth mentioning here that some media reports had suggested that the bilateral ties of the United States and Pakistan were discussed during Michelle Obama’s visit, while reporting the same meeting.
