A photo of actress Armeena Khan and her infant shared by the official Twitter account of the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) prompted social media users to demand an apology.
The PML-N came under fire after one of its official Twitter accounts posted a picture of actor Armeena Khan with her infant daughter and called them “youthia” after she retweeted a video in which Maryam Nawaz was trolled.
On April 9, Armeena retweeted a video in which an unidentified woman pretended to take a selfie with the PML-N leader and then proceeded to tell the politician “can you say my family are thieves?” The video was shared by Shayan Ali, a staunch PTI supporter who’s based in the UK.
“Had this happened in Pakistan, the selfie lady would’ve ‘disappeared.’ I’m glad we have such freedoms in the U.K. where we hold our politicians to account. If you’re going to live on British soil then it is OUR rules. We have freedom of speech,” the actor wrote.
Reaction
Many Twitter users condemned the use of a child’s picture in an online political argument by the official account of the political party currently in power.
Actor Osman Khalid Butt and author Shahbaz Taseer, among many others, asked the account to delete the tweet.
For God’s sake, delete this.
— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) April 9, 2023
You’re in the federal government now plz delete this tweet
— Shahbaz Taseer (@ShahbazTaseer) April 10, 2023
Actor’s husband also demands apology
Armeena’s husband Fesl Reza-Khan asked the PML-N account to “apologise immediately”.
“PML-N leadership, you are responsible for this account. You have posted a photo of my infant, just to troll my wife, thus crossing all bounds of decency. My daughter & I have no interest in PK politics. But as a father, I will protect my child. Apologise immediately,” he wrote.
PMLN leadership, you are responsible for this account. You have posted a photo of my infant, just to troll my wife, thus crossing all bounds of decency. My daughter & I have no interest in PK politics. But as a Father I will protect my child. Apologise immediately. https://t.co/hf499mKNgP
— Fesl Reza-Khan (@frk1) April 9, 2023
Many others also spoke up in support of the actor telling Armeena Khan to “stay strong”.