Pakistani politicians are quick to come forward at moments that will allow them to gain some spotlight. Something similar happened with the famous Senator Rehman Malik but it quickly turned into comedy gold.
Senator Rehman Malik asked for the contact of Iqbal Masih, a human rights activist, in an attempt to probably show his generosity
But the attempt to show benevolence quickly backfired and made for rather dark comedy in these dark times.
can any body provide his contact details https://t.co/GccKBesQD3
— Senator Rehman Malik former Interior Minister Pak (@SenRehmanMalik) April 16, 2020
The problem with Rehman Malik’s statement was that Iqbal Masih passed away about 25 years ago
And people couldn’t believe that the Senator made such a mistake…
https://twitter.com/FreeRange_Duck/status/1251091911735218177?s=20
No need for contact details. Someone please arrange a meeting of him with the Senator https://t.co/pA65K66VKW
— Ahad Ashraf (@ahadashraf) April 17, 2020
Yeh Tou Halat Hain In Ke https://t.co/3V0iRUHxxg
— SAAD KHAN (@saadkhan_10) April 17, 2020
Many were shocked at the Senator Rehman Malik’s cluelessness because the story of Iqbal’s activism is generally pretty famous
Hollyshit 🙄🙄🙄 https://t.co/uIYKldJsP3
— Fahad Dogra (@fahad_dogra) April 17, 2020
Others lost hope in Rehman Malik’s party
Give me a break. DID HE LITERALLY JUST ASK FOR IQBAL MASIH’s contact details?
Another PPP disappointment after sharmila farooqi calling chicken a red snapper. 😭 https://t.co/GWCOXEQsE3— Sana 🕊 (@pakhairrr) April 17, 2020
A senator whose party claims to champion minorities’ rights does not know that this Christian kid was killed 25 years ago.
Everything you need to know about the incompetence of the bloody PPP. https://t.co/xqrcT10GnN
— Imran (@misz110) April 17, 2020
Honestly, the Senator made a pretty silly mistake. Iqbal Masih’s story is relatively well known especially by those who are in the same age demographic as Rehman Malik. Him not knowing about such incidents is one thing but blindly asking for details without verifying facts is just… carelessness.
He could have merely looked at the replies to the tweet where people paid tribute to the young activist and expressed sorrow at his early passing. But nope, clearly someone wanted to be looked at as a hero. Unfortunately, the attempt backfired. Big time.
This isn’t the first time Senator Rehman Malik has embarrassed himself on Twitter and to be honest, it probably isn’t the last time either. But let’s see what excuse he comes up with this time.