The United Kingdom’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, posted a video on November 18 of an exclusive event celebrating His Majesty The King’s 76th Birthday in Islamabad. The long guest list included PTI’s Chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, which irked the party supporters.
In the short video clip released by the official account of Marriott, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, former caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, former CM Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan and former diplomat Tariq Fatemi were cutting a cake with British High Commissioner.
Former DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General (retd) Asif Ghafoor was present at the event as well.
Barrister Gohar’s presence at the party, however, drew strong criticism from netizens on social media.
One user commented: “Khan is in jail this guy is eating cake.”
Another irritated netizen wrote, “How did you manage to gather every Pakistan that the people of Pakistan absolute hate? Well, but then you’re a bunch of hypocrites anyway.”
“Every colonial slave in one video….fascinating,” remarked another PTI supporter by the username Mooman.
Freelancer geopolitical analyst Talha Ahmad, with a considerable following on X, wrote: “In the last two days, funerals have taken place from dozens of houses. This aristocrat is busy celebrating the birthday of his real king in his little world unaware of the situation. In this system, the life of a common man is just a minor news. The news that gets lost somewhere in the noise of this apathetic society the other day.”
Meanwhile, PTI supporters also criticised the original post, pointing out that since the government had banned the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and the use of VPNs in Pakistan, it was contradictory for the High Commissioner to be using both.
One party supporter wrote, “Jane what VPN are you using as X is banned in Pakistan officially so are you disobeying the laws of the land as an ambassador in Pakistan or are you exempt from every law too? @FCDOGovUK”
X user Javed Hassan, wrote: “It is disappointing to see the PTI chairman celebrating the King’s birthday when his majesty’s government has done little to promote human rights and the rule of law in Pakistan. The event is cringeworthy in its colonial undertones when the host country struggles with democracy.”
“Pakistan is a vassal state of the West. These brown puppets ignored Allama Iqbal’s birthday on November 9 but are bending over backwards to celebrate the King’s birthday, as if he were one of the ideological founders of Pak. Which VPN are you using, Viceroy @JaneMarriottUK?” posted another netizen.
Another user pointed out the bad optics for the ruling elite as Pakistan reels from a surge in terrorism, writing, “Let us party, sing and make merry to the good health of the King. It isn’t like our country lost 50 plus to terrorism these past few weeks and despondency is touching the sky. Must be some other country where all this is happening.”