ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Naeemul Haq, on Wednesday, apologized for his tweet referring to Tariq Fatemi’s presence in China along with senior civil leadership for Belt and Road forum.
A day earlier, Haq had tweeted a picture of the government officials meeting with the Chinese nationals during which Fatemi was also present.
Haq did not realise that the picture was from the time when Tariq Fatemi was performing his duties and the Dawn Leaks issue had not taken place.
The PTI leader in a clarification said he was mistaken on the issue and the confusion had arisen because of the old picture, adding that he apologized for the tweet which was also shared by another PTI leader, Shireen Mazari.
“Nawaz continues to deceive the nation. Tariq Fatemi accompanies him in China. So his being relieved of his duties was a lie. What a farce,” Haq had tweeted which was retracted.
What exacerbated the situation was the fact that prominent PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, during a National Assembly session, expressed his party’s reservations over Fatemi ‘accompanying’ the premier. Shireen Mazari also threw weight behind Naeem and hit out at the government for making Fatemi ‘part of entourage’.
Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb retaliated and termed their statements “highly irresponsible and regrettable.”
“PTI’s reporting on Tariq Fatemi at worst seditious and diabolic or at best ignorant and incompetent,” the state minister tweeted.
The photo that duped PTI bigwigs into taking aim at the government was in fact, of an MoU signing ceremony held on December 30, 2016, in Beijing.
Tariq Fatemi was sacked from his post following the Dawn Leaks controversy.
